The
four sting operations targeting gangs in Moldova that wanted to sell
radioactive dirty bomb materials to Islamic terrorists could just be the
tip of the iceberg, and investigators are likely looking for links to
Russian gangs in the United States, experts told the Herald.
“When they take down this kind of cell, there’s always spin-offs. You could spin-off half a dozen investigations as a result of this,” said Fred Burton, intelligence chief for Stratfor, a global intelligence firm.
Thomas J. Martin, a former international investigator with the U.S. Department of Justice, said stings are hard enough to manage on U.S. soil, and working with foreign government laws makes it all the harder — especially when targeting well-resourced criminal networks on their own territory.
“It’s nothing short of heroic,” Martin said. He said the criminals are “more sophisticated than a homegrown gang, this is more like a highly professional, skilled group of terrorists. The stakes are ... high. I think you can be assured this will be an ongoing investigation. I don’t think anyone will be closing the books on this one.”
The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that Moldovan police, working with the FBI, have interrupted four attempts in the past five years by gangs with suspected Russian connections that sought to sell radioactive material to Middle Eastern extremists. The latest known case came in February this year, when a smuggler offered a huge cache of deadly cesium — enough to contaminate several city blocks — and specifically sought a buyer from the Islamic State group.
Matthew Bunn, a Harvard professor who led a secret study for the Clinton administration on the security of Russia’s nuclear arsenal, said, “In the age of the Islamic State, it’s especially terrifying to have real smugglers of nuclear bomb material apparently making connections with real buyers.”
The FBI declined to comment, and the White House and the U.S. State Department would not comment on the specifics of the cases.
“When they take down this kind of cell, there’s always spin-offs. You could spin-off half a dozen investigations as a result of this,” said Fred Burton, intelligence chief for Stratfor, a global intelligence firm.
Thomas J. Martin, a former international investigator with the U.S. Department of Justice, said stings are hard enough to manage on U.S. soil, and working with foreign government laws makes it all the harder — especially when targeting well-resourced criminal networks on their own territory.
“It’s nothing short of heroic,” Martin said. He said the criminals are “more sophisticated than a homegrown gang, this is more like a highly professional, skilled group of terrorists. The stakes are ... high. I think you can be assured this will be an ongoing investigation. I don’t think anyone will be closing the books on this one.”
The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that Moldovan police, working with the FBI, have interrupted four attempts in the past five years by gangs with suspected Russian connections that sought to sell radioactive material to Middle Eastern extremists. The latest known case came in February this year, when a smuggler offered a huge cache of deadly cesium — enough to contaminate several city blocks — and specifically sought a buyer from the Islamic State group.
Matthew Bunn, a Harvard professor who led a secret study for the Clinton administration on the security of Russia’s nuclear arsenal, said, “In the age of the Islamic State, it’s especially terrifying to have real smugglers of nuclear bomb material apparently making connections with real buyers.”
The FBI declined to comment, and the White House and the U.S. State Department would not comment on the specifics of the cases.
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