The Stig
08-26-2013, 10:51 PM
Original story HERE (http://news.sky.com/story/1133003/uranium-smuggled-in-air-passengers-shoes) at Skynews
Uranium 'Smuggled In Air Passenger's Shoes'
A man from Sierra Leone is accused of trying to act as an intermediary to sell Iran 1,000 tonnes of purified uranium.
Patrick Campbell was held after he flew into JFK Airport
A man is facing 20 years in prison after being arrested at New York's John F Kennedy airport with uranium samples destined for Iran allegedly hidden in his shoes.
Patrick Campbell, from Sierra Leone, is accused of trying to act as an intermediary to sell Iran 1,000 tonnes of purified uranium.
He had been under surveillance since May 2012, when he responded to an advert on the website Alibaba.com from someone looking to buy yellowcake uranium.
When enriched, yellowcake uranium can be used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.
Iran has been accused by Western leaders of secretly hoping to acquire nuclear weapons despite claiming its programme is for energy use only.
The 33-year-old allegedly made the offer to US undercover agents, thinking they were representing the Iranians.
Technicians work at a uranium processing site in Isfahan 340 km (211 miles) south of the Iranian cap.. Uranium processing at a site in Isfahan, Iran
Campbell promised to ship the yellowcake uranium, disguised as chromite, from Sierra Leone to the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran, it is claimed.
He said he worked for a company that sold uranium, gold, diamonds, and chromite at the border of Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the indictment, a copy of which was published by the New York Times.
Campbell was arrested in New York on his way from Sierra Leone to Florida, where he planned to show his "contact" some uranium samples.
The samples, wrapped in plastic bags, had been hidden in the soles of a pair of shoes in his luggage, it is claimed.
Investigators also allegedly found contact information for the sale and delivery of the uranium on a USB key.
Accused of violating US law concerning transactions with Iran, Campbell could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $1m (£660,000).
The case was transferred to a federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Uranium 'Smuggled In Air Passenger's Shoes'
A man from Sierra Leone is accused of trying to act as an intermediary to sell Iran 1,000 tonnes of purified uranium.
Patrick Campbell was held after he flew into JFK Airport
A man is facing 20 years in prison after being arrested at New York's John F Kennedy airport with uranium samples destined for Iran allegedly hidden in his shoes.
Patrick Campbell, from Sierra Leone, is accused of trying to act as an intermediary to sell Iran 1,000 tonnes of purified uranium.
He had been under surveillance since May 2012, when he responded to an advert on the website Alibaba.com from someone looking to buy yellowcake uranium.
When enriched, yellowcake uranium can be used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.
Iran has been accused by Western leaders of secretly hoping to acquire nuclear weapons despite claiming its programme is for energy use only.
The 33-year-old allegedly made the offer to US undercover agents, thinking they were representing the Iranians.
Technicians work at a uranium processing site in Isfahan 340 km (211 miles) south of the Iranian cap.. Uranium processing at a site in Isfahan, Iran
Campbell promised to ship the yellowcake uranium, disguised as chromite, from Sierra Leone to the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran, it is claimed.
He said he worked for a company that sold uranium, gold, diamonds, and chromite at the border of Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the indictment, a copy of which was published by the New York Times.
Campbell was arrested in New York on his way from Sierra Leone to Florida, where he planned to show his "contact" some uranium samples.
The samples, wrapped in plastic bags, had been hidden in the soles of a pair of shoes in his luggage, it is claimed.
Investigators also allegedly found contact information for the sale and delivery of the uranium on a USB key.
Accused of violating US law concerning transactions with Iran, Campbell could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $1m (£660,000).
The case was transferred to a federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.