From Mutter's:
Kyrgyzstan intercepts illegal plutonium sale
BISHKEK (AFP) Sep 28, 2004
Kyrgyz security forces have foiled an attempt to sell 60 containers of plutonium-239, which is used for making nuclear weapons, a national security committee spokeswoman said Tuesday.
It remained unclear how much plutonium was contained in the containers, but an official said its grade was high enough to make a so-called "dirty bomb" that disburses high doses of radiation over large areas.
One man was detained during the seizure of the plutonium last week and another suspect escaped, the spokeswoman said.
"Plutonium-239 is not used in Kyrgyzstan -- the security service is trying to establish how this material got into the hands of the detained person," the spokeswoman told AFP.
Fears about the security of chemical and nuclear sites in Kyrgyzstan have risen in recent years with the discovery of a number of such attempts to sell radioactive materials on the black market.
Although it is not thought to have produced nuclear weapons, this former Soviet republic was a major uranium producer until it became an independent republic following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.
www.spacewar.com/2004/040...qf1pf.html