Key facts
- Georgia detained a man for attempting to sell uranium-238 for $700,000.
- The suspect faces up to 10 years in prison.
- Uranium-238 is the most common uranium isotope and not directly usable for nuclear bombs.
- The incident occurred amid ongoing concerns about nuclear material security in post-Soviet states.
Georgian security services have detained a citizen accused of planning to sell uranium-238 for $700,000 to a foreign national. The national security service announced the arrest on Wednesday, stating the individual faces up to 10 years in prison for illegally handling nuclear material. Security forces shared video footage showing the arrest, including agents testing containers found in the suspect's vehicle with a radiation detector; one container appeared to hold a light-colored powder.
Uranium-238, the most common isotope of uranium, is radioactive but not typically used on its own to construct a nuclear weapon. The incident underscores persistent concerns regarding the security of nuclear materials in the post-Soviet era, a period that has seen several instances of illicit trade in such substances in Georgia over the past few decades. In February, Georgian authorities arrested two individuals attempting to purchase $3 million worth of uranium and radioactive isotopes associated with nuclear weapons testing.