Nuclear material goes missing in Texas, but the govt remains mum

 

 

An instrument used to calibrate nuclear material which had  plutonium and cesium in the possession of federal experts went missing last year, authorities in San Antonio said.

According to a police report, the device and material was stolen from a car in city.

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The news broke after the Center of Public Integrity revealed that the highly sensitive material was to be retrieved from a research lab in San Antonio by two security experts of the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory.


Plutonium and cesium are both radioactive materials that be weaponised.

Notwithstanding, the amount of nuclear material that was lost is insufficient to pose a threat, authorities say.

The Department of Energy could not be reached to comment in this regard.

Police officer Carlos Ortiz who was at the scene of the crime said that the case was a typical "smash-and-grab" with no fingerprint left, surveillance recorded or witnesses available to help find the suspect.

There have been no additional reports related to the incident since.

Federal watchdogs have previously flagged troubles tracking lost nuclear material overseas.

The article originally appeared in ABC News