The Guardian has this alarming report today about a 20-month investigation by MI-6. A company run by British Muslims (the article refers to them as “Britons” but also describes them as having ties to “Islamic terrorists abroad” and being “al Qaeda sympathizers”) is believed to have a line on the black market (Russian) for weapons-grade uranium, which they were trying to ship to Iran and Sudan.
A British company has been closed down after being caught in an apparent attempt to sell black-market weapons-grade uranium to Iran and Sudan, The Observer can reveal.
Anti-terrorist officers and MI6 are now investigating a wider British-based plot allegedly to supply Iran with material for use in a nuclear weapons programme. One person has already been charged with attempting to proliferate ‘weapons of mass destruction’.
During the 20-month investigation, which also involved MI5 and Customs and Excise, a group of Britons was tracked as they obtained weapons-grade uranium from the black market in Russia. Investigators believe it was intended for export to Sudan and on to Iran.
A number of Britons, who are understood to have links with Islamic terrorists abroad, remain under surveillance. Investigators believe they have uncovered the first proof that al-Qaeda supporters have been actively engaged in developing an atomic capability. The British company, whose identity is known to The Observer but cannot be disclosed for legal reasons, has been wound up.
Evidently, the plot was thwarted in early 2006 before the uranium got to its final destination. Because, as the exceprt above details, charges have been filed, further information may be slow coming (British law clamps down on the publication of information about ongoing court cases.)