German Authorities Arrest Engineer on Suspicion of Aiding Libyan Nuclear Weapons Program

German authorities last week arrested a Swiss engineer on suspicion that he aided Libyan efforts to develop nuclear weapons, the German federal prosecutor’s office announced yesterday (see GSN, June 4).

While the office did not release the engineer’s name, officials close to the case identified him as Urs Tinner, 39, according to the Washington Post. Earlier this year, Malaysian officials identified Tinner as being part of the international nuclear network revealed by the confessed involvement of top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. German prosecutors said they planned to charge Tinner with conspiracy to commit treason. 

Swiss officials have conducted their own investigation into Tinner and his family based on the Malaysian allegations, and the results have been provided to Swiss prosecutors, the Post reported.

Tinner was a consultant from April 2002 to October 2003 for Scomi Precision Engineering, a Malaysian company that built uranium enrichment centrifuges for Libya. The company has said it did not know the parts, which were discovered before reaching their destination, were to be used in a nuclear program (Whitlock/Smiley, Washington Post, Oct. 12).

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