Sat Sep 28,10:27 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 ( news - web sites).

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 ( news - web sites) 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.

Now that's scary!!! Thirty three pounds of weapons grade Uranium is enough to do something with. The next thing you know, the Capitol Mall is a glass parking lot. They might even ship it in by Fed-X, who needs a missle.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/09/29/turkey.uranium/index.html

Turkish authorities Sunday released two men accused of attempting to smuggle a quantity of uranium, saying the amount in their possession was only a fraction of what officials originally estimated.

Turkish officials announced Saturday they had seized a box filled with nearly 35 pounds (15 kilograms) of uranium. But Muzaffer Dilek, the mayor of Sanliurfa, a Turkish city near the Turkey-Syria border, said Sunday that the material amounted to only 140 grams -- about five ounces.

The two men arrested with the material were released due to lack of evidence and have since disappeared, Dilek said.

Five ounces of Uranium and they are set free?

That dude, Billy, in the Midnight Express movie got screwed with a few ounces of hash.

Turkey should be next on the list of countries to acquire and colonize with civilized people.

Originally posted by Snouter
Five ounces of Uranium and they are set free?

That dude, Billy, in the Midnight Express movie got screwed with a few ounces of hash.

Turkey should be next on the list of countries to acquire and colonize with civilized people.

By 'released', and 'disapeared', I suspect that means 'interogated', and 'deceased'.

LOL ;)

So they'd let people go cause they still had enough nuclear material for a bomb, but not MULTIPLE bombs.

Originally posted by Manu
So they'd let people go cause they still had enough nuclear material for a bomb, but not MULTIPLE bombs.

I think it takes a bit more than a few ounces to even produce the crudest of nukes. Our first contained about 6 kilograms of plutonium....I think. I'd have to read up on it, so don't hold me to this.

Ahh, gotcha. But what about a smaller scale suitcase nuke? Or slowly amassing matierals for a bomb?

Originally posted by Manu
Ahh, gotcha. But what about a smaller scale suitcase nuke? Or slowly amassing matierals for a bomb?
Exactly.

5 ounces here, 6 ounces next month, 5 in the month after. Before you know it, you got a pound worth of Uranium.

You could put together a crude (small radius) weapon with that much. And all it took to get it was a few million bucks and 3 months.

What's scary is if these guys weren't killed but are now going out to get another shipment.

True statement Rich. The scariest point is that these guys can STILL be doing this.

It was not uranium at all now.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-turkey-uranium1001sep30,0,1420147.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

Originally posted by CYLLON
It was not uranium at all now.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-turkey-uranium1001sep30,0,1420147.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

I read the linked article, the material was contained in a lead vessel so the intent to provide or procure Uranium was there whether it was depleted or some other material all together. The smugglers probably believed the material really was Uranium. The fact that the material was something other than weapons grade material doesn't make me feel much safer as the intent is clear.

Or is it just a coverup so that we feel more secure?

The pentagon did devlelope a propaganda office for overseas...

Originally posted by Manu


The pentagon did devlelope a propaganda office for overseas...


Which really screws things up...

See how these sensational news releases play on peoples fears? Just like the fake dirty bomber story, most people still believe it and are willing to sacrifice their rights for security..

Originally posted by u8nxprt


I read the linked article, the material was contained in a lead vessel so the intent to provide or procure Uranium was there whether it was depleted or some other material all together. The smugglers probably believed the material really was Uranium. The fact that the material was something other than weapons grade material doesn't make me feel much safer as the intent is clear.
No argument from me.I dont doubt the black market is alive and well.

The point is,it was not what it was reported.Its hype,not intel.