Official informed that the amount of contaminated material was “extremely small and has been assessed by experts as posing no threat to the public.”…reports Asian Lite News
British counterterrorism police are investigating after border officers seized cargo contaminated with uranium at London’s Heathrow Airport.
The Metropolitan Police force said Wednesday that “a very small amount of contaminated material was identified after routine screening within a package incoming to the UK” on Dec. 29. It said the force’s Counterterrorism Command is investigating. There have been no arrests.
The BBC reported that the uranium was in a shipment of scrap metal. Police Commander Richard Smith said the amount of contaminated material was “extremely small and has been assessed by experts as posing no threat to the public.”
Uranium is widely used to produce nuclear energy and is generally seen as deadly. However, a routine screening of the package found “a very small amount of contaminated material”, which experts have reportedly assessed as “posing no threat to the public.” The uranium was ‘not weapons-grade’ – and so could not be used to manufacture a thermo-nuclear weapon, reports said.
The matter is under investigation and no arrests have been made so far.
“We can confirm officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command were contacted by Border Force colleagues at Heathrow after a very small amount of contaminated material was identified after routine screening within a package incoming to the UK on 29 December 2022,” the police was quoted as telling MailOnline, a local media agency.
“I want to reassure the public that the amount of contaminated material was extremely small and has been assessed by experts as posing no threat to the public,” Commander Richard Smith said, according to Dailymail Online.
“Although our investigation remains ongoing, from our inquiries so far, it does not appear to be linked to any direct threat. However, we will continue to follow up on all available lines of enquiry to ensure this is definitely the case,” the commander said.
Police Commander Richard Smith said the amount of contaminated material was “extremely small and has been assessed by experts as posing no threat to the public.”
He said it “does not appear to be linked to any direct threat,” but the investigation continues. “We will, of course, follow every avenue to see what the background to this was and satisfy ourselves that there’s no further threat,” he said. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman declined to comment on an ongoing police operation.