AP Investigation: Nuclear Smugglers Sought Terrorist Buyers - Polidicks

[quote] In the backwaters of Eastern Europe, authorities working with the FBI have interrupted four attempts in the past five years by gangs with suspected Russian connections that sought to sell radioactive material to Middle Eastern extremists, The Associated Press has learned. The latest known case came in February this year, when a smuggler offered a huge cache of deadly cesium — enough to contaminate several city blocks — and specifically sought a buyer from the Islamic State group. Criminal organizations, some with ties to the Russian KGB's successor agency, are driving a thriving black market in nuclear materials in the tiny and impoverished country of Moldova, investigators say. The successful busts, however, were undercut by striking shortcomings: Kingpins got away, and those arrested evaded long prison sentences, sometimes quickly returning to nuclear smuggling, AP found. "We can expect more of these cases," said Constantin Malic, a Moldovan police officer who investigated all four cases. "As long as the smugglers think they can make big money without getting caught, they will keep doing it." Wiretapped conversations repeatedly exposed plots that targeted the United States, the Moldovan officials said. At one point the middleman told an informant posing as a buyer that it was essential that the smuggled uranium go to Arabs. "He said to the informant on a wire: 'I really want an Islamic buyer because they will bomb the Americans,'" said Malic, the investigator. [/quote] [url]http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/ap-investigation-nuclear-smugglers-sought-terrorist-buyers-34298921[/url] [url]http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_EUROPE_NUCLEAR_SMUGGLERS_ABRIDGED?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT[/url]

Didn't VICE do a video on this?

[QUOTE=Svinnik;48845756]Didn't VICE do a video on this?[/QUOTE] Yeah but that's another story [video=youtube;0c4f4NJSB_4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c4f4NJSB_4[/video]

Oh, sure, just sell nuclear paraphernalia to other people and hope they get it to extremists wanting to bomb America. Why don't you step up to the plate and be a man, Russia?! We're right here! Do it already! I mean, uh, I don't want nuclear holocaust. How much stuff gets sold without us knowing about it?

If we even got wind of ISIS having a functional nuke of any sort things would escalate rather quickly as ISIS would gain the power to legitimize itself. Not only that but if ISIS were to have some form of functional nuclear capacity, even if it was only a single nuke, it would probably make a lot of the west nope the fuck out of the middle east. Threat of a nuclear attack, even a single one, would be enough to scare off (most) of the major foreign opposition to ISIS. Of course ISIS would never be able to use the nuke either because it would basically sign their death warrant. A nuclear attack would incur the wrath of literally every country on Earth and would alienate a good portion of the population they try to recruit from

[QUOTE=Kyle902;48847562]If we even got wind of ISIS having a functional nuke of any sort things would escalate rather quickly as ISIS would gain the power to legitimize itself. Not only that but if ISIS were to have some form of functional nuclear capacity, even if it was only a single nuke, it would probably make a lot of the west nope the fuck out of the middle east. Threat of a nuclear attack, even a single one, would be enough to scare off (most) of the major foreign opposition to ISIS. Of course ISIS would never be able to use the nuke either because it would basically sign their death warrant. A nuclear attack would incur the wrath of literally every country on Earth and would alienate a good portion of the population they try to recruit from[/QUOTE] If ISIS was confirmed to have a nuclear weapon then every nuclear power would simply agree to remove ISIS with nuclear weapons. Unless they know exactly where the weapon is and can retrieve it they'll nuke any structure that might be where the weapon is. The US and Russia will probably be the only ones who actually use nuclear weapons because they're the ones who still have large inventories of tactical weapons but the rest of the nuclear powers will give the thumbs up. [editline]7th October 2015[/editline] Israel and France have tactical weapons so they might but they don't have very many so they might not and in Israel's case in comes with political headaches. [editline]7th October 2015[/editline] And that Vice video was completely awful.

I hope someday people get over the total lack of morals, maybe because nuclear tests weren't so publicized in the Soviet Union, maybe because they didn't have the cinemas pumping out apocalypse movies, but they just casually ignore the fact that they are selling the most dangerous devices ever invented to people who intend to use them to kill indiscriminately Plus things have gotten worse in recent years now that Russia is rearming and relations have gone cold In any case, the middle East with all its massive land feuds is one of the last places you want to permanently irradiate and remove a large chunk of land from habitability, though its not nearly as densly populated as the rest of the world so there's that

They're criminal organisations selling it, they don't care about anything but money. If they cared, they wouldn't be selling it.

The advancements that have been made since the Cold War regarding intelligence gathering and military equipment and weaponry make use of even small-yield nuclear weaponry a null tactic in war. A chopper kilometers away can send a rocket towards a small pickup truck with precision accuracy for crying out loud.

This isn't about nuclear bombs, it's about dirty bombs.

[QUOTE=A B.A. Survivor;48845947]Oh, sure, just sell nuclear paraphernalia to other people and hope they get it to extremists wanting to bomb America. Why don't you step up to the plate and be a man, Russia?! We're right here! Do it already! I mean, uh, I don't want nuclear holocaust. How much stuff gets sold without us knowing about it?[/QUOTE] We're way more at risk by the ones we currently have [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y1ya-yF35g[/media] [QUOTE=Headhumpy;48849835]This isn't about nuclear bombs, it's about dirty bombs.[/QUOTE] I heard these aren't even [I]that[/I] dangerous(relatively speaking) but the psychological impact is far greater because of how much they've been hyped up so people would consider it the same as being nuked

[QUOTE=download;48847658]If ISIS was confirmed to have a nuclear weapon then every nuclear power would simply agree to remove ISIS with nuclear weapons. Unless they know exactly where the weapon is and can retrieve it they'll nuke any structure that might be where the weapon is. The US and Russia will probably be the only ones who actually use nuclear weapons because they're the ones who still have large inventories of tactical weapons but the rest of the nuclear powers will give the thumbs up.[/QUOTE] I see no reason why the US or Russia would ever use a nuclear weapon against ISIS?... Pretty sure that's generally unacceptable. Precision strikes and other types of bombs/weapons are used.

[QUOTE=Kyle902;48847562]If we even got wind of ISIS having a functional nuke of any sort things would escalate rather quickly as ISIS would gain the power to legitimize itself. Not only that but if ISIS were to have some form of functional nuclear capacity, even if it was only a single nuke, it would probably make a lot of the west nope the fuck out of the middle east. Threat of a nuclear attack, even a single one, would be enough to scare off (most) of the major foreign opposition to ISIS. Of course ISIS would never be able to use the nuke either because it would basically sign their death warrant. A nuclear attack would incur the wrath of literally every country on Earth and would alienate a good portion of the population they try to recruit from[/QUOTE] I don't think the concept of mutually assured destruction applies to people who have the same mindset as the 19 hijackers.

[QUOTE=Matt2468rv;48850046]I see no reason why the US or Russia would ever use a nuclear weapon against ISIS?... Pretty sure that's generally unacceptable. Precision strikes and other types of bombs/weapons are used.[/QUOTE] If ISIS had nuclear weapons they would

[QUOTE=download;48852994]If ISIS had nuclear weapons they would[/QUOTE] do you really think the US/Russia would nuke Syria?

[QUOTE=Gwoodman;48853046]do you really think the US/Russia would nuke Syria?[/QUOTE] If there was a risk that nuclear weapon or weapons could get out of Syria and end up in their nation or a nation they're allied with then sure hell yes.

[QUOTE=Zang-Pog;48847745]People should look into history and things like Chernobyl and the nuclear bombing of Japan to understand what sort of power they're meddling with when they're doing anything nuclear[/QUOTE] Chernobyl is more of a testament to the power of steam than it is nuclear.

[QUOTE=download;48853450]If there was a risk that nuclear weapon or weapons could get out of Syria and end up in their nation or a nation they're allied with then sure hell yes.[/QUOTE] There are conventional bombs that can be used against a possible location holding nuclear weapons than irradiating half of the middle east to take them out.

If a terrorist group gets cesium can't we just throw water balloons at them?

[QUOTE=Kyle902;48847562]If we even got wind of ISIS having a functional nuke of any sort things would escalate rather quickly as ISIS would gain the power to legitimize itself. Not only that but if ISIS were to have some form of functional nuclear capacity, even if it was only a single nuke, it would probably make a lot of the west nope the fuck out of the middle east. Threat of a nuclear attack, even a single one, would be enough to scare off (most) of the major foreign opposition to ISIS. Of course ISIS would never be able to use the nuke either because it would basically sign their death warrant. A nuclear attack would incur the wrath of literally every country on Earth and would alienate a good portion of the population they try to recruit from[/QUOTE] Actually realistically I think the opposite would happen. Nuclear powers, and other Western powers won't take any chances this time, they'd put the entire region into lockdown until they can be sure that ISIS is dead and no groups have nuclear capabilities there. This would be an occupation of the MidEast like we never seen before. They're certainly not going to run away knowing that some nutjob group has nuclear weapons, that would be foolish.

[QUOTE=Antlerp;48855077]Actually realistically I think the opposite would happen. Nuclear powers, and other Western powers won't take any chances this time, they'd put the entire region into lockdown until they can be sure that ISIS is dead and no groups have nuclear capabilities there. This would be an occupation of the MidEast like we never seen before. They're certainly not going to run away knowing that some nutjob group has nuclear weapons, that would be foolish.[/QUOTE] Not to mention that the west really has no fear of a nuclear attack from a terrorist group in the form of an actual denoting nuclear explosion because they simply have no way to launch such a bomb toward the west. The best option they would have would be to smuggle it in somewhere - and you know what, once it's used, it's done and gone. They won't have dozens of back ups to deter further aggression or a counterattack (which WILL come in the event of a nuclear attack, whether an explosion or dirty bomb). The American people, at least, would call for the eradication of Syria as a concept, let alone as a country and people, if the Islamic State were to do such a thing. Perhaps many in Western Europe would do the same if they were attacked in such a away. Everyone's a diverse, peace-loving person until they get punched to the ground. When they stand back up, you'll find very, [I]very[/I] few willing to continue being so.

[QUOTE=Da Big Man;48848496]The advancements that have been made since the Cold War regarding intelligence gathering and military equipment and weaponry make use of even small-yield nuclear weaponry a null tactic in war. A chopper kilometers away can send a rocket towards a small pickup truck with precision accuracy for crying out loud.[/QUOTE] Huh? I'm pretty sure if the terrorists got a tactical nuke, a good portion of DC or Manhattan would be turned into a smoking crater.

[QUOTE=cqbcat;48856850]Huh? I'm pretty sure if the terrorists got a tactical nuke, a good portion of DC or Manhattan would be turned into a smoking crater.[/QUOTE] I think his point is they wouldn't be able to smuggle it anywhere near a major target without getting removed from this plane of existence.