NewsMine — war-on-terror — iraq — pretext — wmd — uranium — Viewing Item

Turkey uranium baghdad { September 28 2002 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=topnews&StoryID=1508708 http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=topnews&StoryID=1508708 Turkish Police Seize Weapons-Grade Uranium Last Updated: September 28, 2002 10:24 AM ET ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish paramilitary police have seized more than 33 pounds of weapons-grade uranium and detained two men accused of smuggling the material, the state-run Anatolian news agency said on Saturday. Officers in the southern province of Sanliurfa, which borders Syria and is about 155 miles from the Iraqi border, were acting on a tip-off when they stopped a taxi cab and discovered the uranium in a lead container hidden beneath the vehicle's seat, the agency said. The incident happens at a time of mounting speculation the United States could launch a military attack on neighboring Iraq for its alleged program of weapons of mass destruction. U.S. President George Bush has accused Baghdad of clandestine efforts to develop a nuclear bomb as his administration works to build international support for an operation to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Officials at Ankara's Atomic Energy Institute would not confirm they had been notified about the material, which Anatolia had reported. "Our investigation on whether the uranium was destined for a neighboring country is continuing," a Sanliurfa police official was quoted as saying by Anatolian. Police officials in Sanliurfa and Ankara declined to comment on the case. Authorities believe the uranium came from an east European country and has a value of about $5 million, Anatolian said. It was not immediately clear when the operation was carried out. Anatolian only gave the first names of the suspects, which appeared to be Turkish. Smugglers use Turkey's porous eastern border to import drugs, and hundreds of thousands of migrants each year illegally cross the rugged frontier on their way to more affluent European Union nations. Police in Istanbul seized more than 2.2 pounds of weapons-grade uranium last November that had been smuggled into Turkey from an east European nation. The smugglers were detained after attempting to sell the material to undercover police officers. © Copyright Reuters 2002. All rights reserved. Any copying, re-publication or re-distribution of Reuters content or of any content used on this site, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent of Reuters. Quotes and other data are provided for your personal information only, and are not intended for trading purposes. Reuters, the members of its Group and its data providers shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the quotes or other data, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. © Reuters 2002. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. www.reuters.com

British government learned of uranium { July 18 2003 } British intelligence seriously flawed says butler report { July 14 2004 } Bush backs off uranium claim { July 8 2003 } Cia objected to uranium claim { July 10 2003 } Turkey uranium baghdad { September 28 2002 } Turkey uranium suspects released Uranium document not credible { June 13 2003 } Uranium report by nsc aide robert joseph Files Listed: 8

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