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Colombia Accuses Rebels of Seeking “Dirty Bomb”
From Wednesday, March 5, 2008 issue.
Leftist rebels in Colombia are seeking material that could be used in a radiological “dirty bomb,” the nation’s vice president alleged yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 22, 2002). Francisco Santos said the proof came from two computers recovered after the Colombian military conducted an attack in Ecuador against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the Associated Press reported. Information from the computers showed the rebel group sought to obtain radioactive material, “the primary basis for generating dirty weapons of mass destruction and terrorism,” Santos said during the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Documents provided to the press suggested the rebel group was focused on making money by acquiring and selling uranium rather than using it for a weapon, AP reported (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, March 5). The Wall Street Journal reported that documents indicated the rebels hoped to make a profit by having a foreign government buy the uranium or some form of weapon. A rebel, in one document, addressed the cost per kilogram of uranium necessary for the “explosive we are preparing.” The United Nations has made no public comment on Colombia’s statement. The cross-border strike has inflamed tensions between Colombia and two neighboring nations. Both Ecuador and Venezuela have moved troops to their borders with Colombia. Bogota has accused its neighbors of supporting the rebels, but the nations are not expected to go to war, the Journal reported. Instead, the matter is being taken up at various multilateral organizations and world courts (John Lyons, Wall Street Journal, March 5).
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2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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