Dirty bomb fears as URANIUM is found in cargo at Heathrow

A shipment of uranium has been seized at Heathrow airport – sparking an investigation by counter terrorism police who fear there could have been plans to use it to make a dirty bomb. 

The undeclared material was discovered on December 29 on a passenger flight which arrived from Oman.

The package originated from Pakistan and was destined for an Iranian business with a premises in the UK.

It has prompted fears the uranium may have been destined for use in a dirty bomb – which is a mix of explosives, such as dynamite, with radioactive powder or pellets.

When the dynamite is set off, it can carry radioactive material into the surrounding area.

A shipment of uranium has been seized at Heathrow airport

Police have not made any arrests, but The Sun reports there is an overwhelming ‘concern over what the Iranians living here wanted with non-disclosed nuclear material’.

An unnamed source told the publication: ‘The race is on to trace everyone involved with this rogue non-manifested package.

‘Security bosses are treating this with the seriousness it deserves. Protocol was not followed and this is now an anti-terror operation.’

Specialist scanners picked up on the undeclared parcel as it was transported to a freight shed. 

Specialist scanners picked up on the undeclared parcel as it was transported to a freight shed

Border Force agents isolated the shipment in a radioactive room and, upon determining it was uranium, called in counter-terror police.

Met Police said in a statement: ‘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 December 29.

‘The material has been identified as being contaminated with uranium.’

Last year, Former Washington official Robert Joseph told MailOnline Iran is a nuclear weapons state with enough uranium to build ‘one, if not two’ bombs.

Specialist scanners picked up on the undeclared parcel as it was transported to a freight shed. Pictured: A nuclear storage facility

He said: ‘The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has documented that Iran has 60% of enriched uranium, enough for at least one if not two bombs.

‘We have been saying for years ‘they’re approaching this breakout point and we’ve really got to negotiate with them.’ They’re there.’

Joseph was the chief negotiator to Libya in 2003 and is credited with convincing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to give up his nuclear weapons programme. 

MP Matthew Offord said at the time Iran were ‘regularly testing ballistic missiles, and they are seeking to get enough uranium that they are able to produce a weapon’.