Posted on 03/27/2008 6:57:29 AM PDT by King of Florida
The seizure of up to 66 pounds of low-grade uranium linked to the FARC rebels adds weight to the evidence found in a captured rebel laptop that the guerrillas were interested in buying and selling the material, according to the Colombian Defense Ministry.
But the 30 kilos of uranium found Wednesday in plastic bags dug up about three feet from a road in southern Bogotá was "impoverished," the ministry said, and in that state could not have been used to make a radioactive bomb.
Authorities were waiting for further analysis to determine how dangerous the material found really is, armed forces commander Freddy Padilla said at a press conference late Wednesday.
It was not clear if Colombian authorities meant that they had found depleted uranium, which is the residue left after the mineral is processed to make nuclear energy or nuclear weapons. In its natural state, uranium has low radioactivity and it has to be enriched through a sophisticated process to generate nuclear energy or to make nuclear weapons. According to Colombian daily El Tiempo, the country does not possess the technology to enrich uranium.
The Colombian government has used details of an alleged deal, to buy up to 50 kilos of uranium at $2.5 million a kilo, found in emails on Reyes' computer to prove the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was planning to enter the international terrorism trade from its sanctuary set up in the jungle about one mile from the Colombia-Ecuador border.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
Just what are they planning to do with uranium, roll it up in a flour tortilla?
even more interesting
fox news is reporting this AM that Chavez is linked to financing part of this.
Sooner or later, Hugo needs to go.
Tortillas are Mexican — maybe you’re thinking of an arepa?
“... maybe you’re thinking of an arepa?”
Yeah, that’s the ticket!
According to Fox this morning, they plan to use it for a big, ugly dirty bomb.
Could Venezuela be thinking of doing their own nuke program? Perhaps with North Korean or Chinese help?
this is depleted uranium, useless for anything but a dirty bomb.
I think Chavez is looking for any way to stick a finger in our eye and cause damage to the US
A dirty bomb or even the serious threat of such will cause a lot of problems.
Buchanan was right, unfortunately he said so in public and effectively took that option off the table.
“...dirty bomb”
With low grade uranium? That might help them grow bigger tomatoes, but it’s not much use against civilian populations - other than the fear and panic factors.
The United States issued a warrant for Mogilevich's arrest on charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering. Russia arrested Mogilevich outside Moscow's World Trade Center last month, along with Arbat Prestige owner Vladimir Nekrasov. (On Monday, a Moscow court refused to grant Mogilevich bail, despite his plea to be dying of diabetes related ailments. See Moscow Times.)The MI6 report is said to allege that Mogilevich has:
"a working relationship with Al-Qa'idah....It is a known fact that the organization led by Usamah Bin-Ladin is present in Venezuela and in South American countries governed by populist left-wing representatives who oppose the United States."Columbian Vice President Francisco Santos is quoted by the Spanish television network Antena 3 during the UN Conference on Disarmament as claiming that documents discovered on Reyes' computers revealed that FARC was attempting to purchase fissile material to construct a radiological ("dirty") bomb.
I’m not a scientist, and haven’t a clue—just repeating what they said on Fox. Take it up with them.
the fear and panic factor is the point
can you imagine what would happen to the stock market the day after a dirty bomb exploded in the financial district? It wouldn’t matter how “dirty” it was
clean up would also be an expensive nuisance
“It wouldn’t matter how “dirty” it was.”
You,re right. The US economy would topple after such an event.
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