Using fake docs to buy dirty bomb material form within US is a cakewalk

Using fake documents to buy radioactive materials from within the US for building a dirty bomb is not that difficult, as investigations by the US Government Accountability Office has revealed.

London, July 23 : Using fake documents to buy radioactive materials from within the US for building a dirty bomb is not that difficult, as investigations by the US Government Accountability Office has revealed.

Posing as staff from a construction firm, members of the GAO asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a licence to purchase small amounts of substances such as caesium-137, which is found in moisture meters used on building sites.

Four weeks later, without running detailed checks on the company or requesting a visit, the NRC issued the licence.

The GAO staff then altered the licence to indicate they had NRC approval to purchase unlimited amounts of radioactive material.

Suppliers of such material accepted faxed copies of the doctored licence and even offered discounts for purchasing larger quantities.

The GAO then halted its investigation and made public its findings on July 12, reports New Scientist.

ANI