By Karen Abbott
Federal authorities have a man from South Africa in custody for allegedly sending U.S.-made parts that can detonate nuclear weapons to Pakistan. Asher Karni, 50, of Cape Town, was arrested around New Year's Day at Denver International Airport when he arrived for a Colorado ski vacation. The exact arrest date could not be determined from court documents available Thursday. The documents said a New Jersey export company with which Karni had corresponded ordered 200 "triggered spark gaps," high-speed electrical switches that can be used as detonating devices in nuclear weapons, from the manufacturer, Perkin Elmer Optoelectronics of Massachusetts.
The triggered spark gaps are on a U.S. government list of items that cannot be shipped to certain countries, including Pakistan, without a special U.S. export license. The license requirement is intended to stem the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Perkin Elmer officials, cooperating with U.S. agents, sent the first shipment of 66 triggered spark gaps to the New Jersey company as scheduled in September. But Perkin Elmer irreparably disabled the devices first. The New Jersey company allegedly disguised the nature of the triggered spark gaps on shipping documents, describing them as a different item and also claiming they were destined for a hospital in South Africa. Those changes in the shipping documents enabled the New Jersey company to avoid having to get the special export license.
From here.
http://www.pakistan-facts.com/ ANyone heard of this?
Good find and thanks. I had not heard about that one. Pretty scary stuff. Just wonder what's out there that has fallen through the cracks and has not been caught by the good guys.