CBRNE event in Moldova, Republic of on Thu 19th February 2015

Eastern European gangs have tried to sell radioactive materials to Middle Eastern extremists, including Islamic State, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Four attempted sales by gangs with suspected Russian connections have been thwarted in the past five years by authorities in the eastern European country of Moldova working with the FBI.

AP reports that the last attempt was in February, when a smuggler in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, offered a large cache of deadly cesium and was specifically looking for a buyer from IS.

“You can make a dirty bomb, which would be perfect for the Islamic State,” the smuggler, Valentin Grossu, told an informant at a dance club and sushi bar. “If you have a connection with them, the business will go smoothly.”

AP reports Grossu was asking for $2.8 million (2.5 million euros) in exchange for the cesium, which is capable of contaminating several city blocks.
It took about 20 meetings for the informant to convince Grossu he was IS and make the exchange of cash for the small sample of cesium that landed Grossu in jail.

“We applaud the Moldovan government’s good police and investigative work, which led to recovering the smuggled materials and placing them back under regulatory control,” U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday, adding that the smuggling of nuclear materials is something the U.S. government takes very seriously.