ISIS just stole 88 lbs of uranium from Iraq

[Certaindeaf]

If "mishandled" I'm sure they wouldn't care if the fingerprint of that particular batch of nasty was linked to them.. indeed, it'd save them a phone call claiming responsibility.
And as for detective measures, there's been secret modes of detecting and tracking nuclear material for decades.. who knows how sensitive the equipment is these days but I'd say probably extremely.. but who knows how much shielding would defeat this equipment. I guess where there's a will (and there is), there's a way.. well, at least to try. knock on wood

 

[AMProducts]

This is beyond hilarious I think this is my favorite part:

"These nuclear materials, despite the limited amounts mentioned, can enable terrorist groups, with the availability of the required expertise, to use it separate or in combination with other materials in its terrorist acts," said Alhakim.

So what the article is telling me, is that somehow a bunch of primitives (yes, I will admit they are smart, clever and well funded, but still reprobate atavists) are going to undergo some kind of crash project to enrich some lumps of uranium in a cave somewhere? To even insinuate that is at best unrealistic, as it completely ignores just about everything I (and anyone else with the ability to read) should know about nuclear weapons.

There are two primary ways to enrich uranium, calutrons (read up on this, because it's f-ing difficult, and any facility that does it could be seen from space, also it would need it's own power plants) the other is the gas diffusion/gas centrifuge method which requires first converting uranium to uranium hexaflouride (a corrosive and dangerous gas in it's own right, making zero mention of the fact that it's also radioactive). Since chances are they will never get enough HEU from this to make a bomb, they're going to need to transmute the U238 into Pu239, however, this process isn't without it's loss, generating lots of Pu238, 240 and other isotopes that make the resulting material useless for bomb making without further refining. Which means, they will then need to set up a large chemical lab somewhere to process a significant amount of plutonium, uranium, and varied daughter isotopes, some which may be orders of magnitude more energetic than either parent material.

So if a bomb is out what about a RDD (radiological dispersion device)? Well, that's a funny thing, uranium, whether natural, or even enriched isn't all that radioactive, it's also heavy, which means the dispersive cloud isn't going to move very far.

If you want me to crap my pants, give me a call when they get their hands on some polonium 210, cobalt 60, Strontium 90, or Cesium 137.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Doesn't Iran fund them? Doesn't Iran have a nuclear enrichment program going full bore? Would they not be receptive of this precursor (who knows what it actually is) for full enrichment? Yes, yes they would.

 

[erudne]

Related?
Iraqi intelligence uncovers ISIS plot to attack US, Paris subways
Posted on September 25, 2014 by stella
Fox News, via the AP

NEW YORK – Iraq's prime minister said Thursday his country's intelligence operation has uncovered a plot for an imminent attack on subway systems in United States and Paris.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he was told of the plot by Baghdad, and that it was the work of foreign fighters of the Islamic State group in Iraq. Asked if the attacks were imminent, he said, "Yes."
Asked if the attacks had been thwarted, he said, "No." Al-Abadi said the United States had been alerted.
This was reported by the Prime Minister to a group of journalists at a gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.

 

[AMProducts]

ISIS fighters spray paris subways with fabreeze... The french would be outraged!

 

[erudne]

<broken link removed>
Radical preacher: Anjem Choudary was one of nine men arrested by officers in London this morning
Radical preacher: Anjem Choudary was one of nine men arrested by officers in London this morning" /&gt;
Radical preacher: Anjem Choudary was one of nine men arrested by officers in London this morning

Radical preacher Anjem Choudary was one of nine men arrested early this morning as part of an investigation into Islamist terrorism.
Choudary, 47, and eight other men aged 22, 31, 31, 32, 36, 38, 39 and 51 were arrested by Metropolitan Police officers in London this morning, and have all been taken to police stations - where they remain in custody.
His arrest came shortly after he posted a series of nine tweets at about 5am today with an anti-Western tone, referring to the ongoing crisis involving ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria.
Muslim activist Abu Izzadeen - born Trevor Brooks - is also among the nine men arrested.
Some 19 residential, business or community premises were being searched today as part of the investigation, Scotland Yard said.
Eleven of these were in east London, one was in west London, one was in north-west London and five were in south London - while a residential address was also being searched in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire

 

[Sstrand]

Why doesn't Scotland Yard just put ISIS on the dispatch list since they are giving away all the investigation details??

I can't think this is a "Cloak and Dagger" operation. With ISIS it is more like ski mask and dagger!?!?!?

Sheldon

 

[erudne]

Kurdish news outlets are reporting incidents in which ISIS is believed to have used chemical weapons against Kurdish soldiers.
The Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been indispensable in containing the spread of ISIS, <broken link removed> to fight ISIS where the Iraqi military deserted, surrendered, or were executed en masse. Kurdish forces reported it exceptionally difficult to fight ISIS, as jihadists come to the battlefield hoping to die and receive expected rewards in the afterlife.
The Kurdish outlet Firat News is now reporting that spokesmen for the Kurdish army are denouncing ISIS for use of chemical weapons. Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) spokesman Rêdûr Khalil issued a statement denouncing the use of chemical weapons in Syrian Kurdistan:
Kobanê canton has been exposed to the cruel attacks of the terrorist ISIS militants for some time. In these attacks, ISIS gangs are using all kinds of weapons, including the thermal missiles of USA. Nonetheless, after the first researches and medical control which was done by health team of Kobanê canton and experts on the wounded and martyred fighters, it has been proved that the ISIS gangs have used chemical weapons. Doctors found burns and white dots on the bodies of the martyrs.
<broken link removed> , reports surfaced that ISIS had seized a stockpile of weapons formerly belonging to Saddam Hussein, in which it was possible they found chemical weapons. It is possible they transferred these weapons into Syria and used against opponents in that arena. The Kurdish army also announced that they could not identify what type of chemical weapon was used, only that the injuries sustained by individuals in battle were consistent with those seen on victims of chemical weapons attacks.
ISIS Seizes Uranium, Dirty Bomb Feared
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ISIS has seized at least 90 pounds of radioactive uranium in Iraq. The Times reports that the militants seized the material in Mosul, and the material could be used to make a dirty bomb. Iraq's ambassador to the UN...

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ISIS Seizes Uranium, Dirty Bomb Feared
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ISIS Seizes Uranium, Dirty Bomb Feared
ISIS has seized at least 90 pounds of radioactive uranium in Iraq. The Times reports that the militants seized the material in Mosul, and the material could be used to make a dirty bomb. Iraq's ambassador to the UN has now appealed to the international community for help to "stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq and abroad." A IAEA spokeswoman said they believe the material involved is low grade and would not present a significant safety, security or nuclear proliferation risk. ISIS also took over a military base in northern Iraq last month that contains Saddam Hussein?s stockpile of chemical weapons, including hundreds of warheads containing sarin and mustard gas.

 

[PiratePast40]

Without knowing the level of radioactivity, it's hard to tell how much of a hazard the material presents. If used in a dirty bomb, the main concern would be the spread of loose contamination. In the US, our limits for contamination are very low. Other countries, not so much. Depending on where they set it off, a radiological dirty bomb may have minimal impact.

Chemicals, that's a completely different story. But keep in mind that the Dems deny that WMDs existed in Iraq. So if they're used, will Kerry say that he didn't believe they existed before he believed that they did?

 

[erudne]

think of aum shinrikyo's attack on the Tokyo subway, it was a half assed job but caused lots of trouble that ended with a siege. They were also mining uranium in Australia

 

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