Radioactive material seized en route from Kyrgyzstan to Iran

University of Texas

Radio Free Europe has the scoop on an announcement from the government of Kyrgyzstan that they are holding radioactive material seized from a train that was headed to Iran. A small amount of Cesium-137—which experts say can be used in the production of dirty bombs—was detected by Uzbek border guards on Dec. 31st. Despite the fact that radiation levels were so high within the car that officers of Kyrgyzstan’s Emergency Situations Ministry wore hazmat suits to remove it, the material manage to pass through three checkpoints in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan before being discovered on the Uzbek border and sent back. The train is owned by a Tajik company but the cargo was loaded within Kyrgyzstan.

The train’s ultimate destination inside Iran could be a coincidence, but that’s unlikely to quell fears in the West. It’s also unclear why the Kyrgyz government waited nine days to make the announcement. The story is a troubling reminder of just how difficult this type of material can be to police.