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Georgia arrests uranium-sellers
TBILISI, Georgia – Five people have been arrested in the former Soviet republic of Georgia for trying to sell more than a kilogram of uranium.
State Security Committee investigator Savle Motiashvili told a briefing Thursday that the 1.665 kilograms consisted mostly of U-238, the isotope most commonly found in nature, and only about 0.2 per cent of it was U-235, which can be used in nuclear weapons and reactors.
The arrests were made in Kobuleti, he said.
The suspects aimed to sell the uranium for $3 million, but no potential buyer was specified. Although U-238 itself is not fissile, it can be used as a component in nuclear weapons.
It was the second such arrest this month. Georgia announced April 18 that six people were arrested for trying to sell uranium.
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