Monday, April 20, 2009

Man charged with attempting to ship nuke technology to Iran

A Toronto man, Mahmoud Yadegari, has been charged with trying to export technology that could have helped Iran get the nuclear bomb. RCMP found 10 pressure transducers, used in the process of enriching uranium, at Mr. Yadegari's house.

Apparently this is only the tip of the iceberg. Canadian customs has reportedly seized more than 2 dozen shipments destined for Iran's Manhattan project. National Post

Mahmoud Yadegari appeared briefly in a Toronto courtroom Friday, charged with violating the Customs Act and a United Nations embargo on nuclear-related exports to Iran. His lawyer Craig Penney declined to comment.

The 35-year-old Iranian-Canadian attempted to export "pressure transducers" that can be used to produce weapons-grade uranium, said Insp. Greg Johnson, who heads the RCMP Customs and Excise Section in the Toronto area.[...]

The investigation is the first of its type to result in charges in Canada, but the RCMP said it is investigating an increasing number of similar cases.

Customs officials have seized more than two dozen nuclear-related components just in the past year, said George Webb, manager of the counter-proliferation section of the Canada Border Services Agency.

They include "isolation chambers, isotope splitters, everything from soup to nuts," he said.
Read the whole article, it has more details.

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