6 detained in Moldova over bomb-grade uranium
Six people have been detained for smuggling an unspecified amount of the form of uranium that can be used to make a nuclear weapon, an official said Wednesday.
Interior Ministry official Vitalie Briceag said the uranium-235 was brought in from Russia. He said the smugglers were trying to sell it to a North African country for €20 million ($28.85 million).
Uranium-235 makes up less than 1 percent of natural uranium. Highly enriched uranium — which is used to arm nuclear weapons — is 90 percent or more uranium-235.
The International Atomic Energy Agency considers 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of uranium-235 a “significant quantity” — technical language for the amount needed to make a nuclear bomb.