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November 22, 2008 10:03:34 CST

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Arms Smugglers Had Nuke Blueprints

Posted Jun 15, 08 11:02 CDT in Crime & Courts,  World 

(Newser) – Smugglers who sold weapons parts to Libya, Iran, and North Korea also had blueprints for a compact nuclear weapon—plans that could have been sold “to some of the most treacherous regimes in the world," warns an upcoming report by American and international investigators. The device could be attached to missiles used by Iran and many developing countries, according to the Washington Post .

The blueprints are now destroyed, but it's possible they were copied and sold to dangerous governments before they were found. The blueprints “would have been ideal” for two of the smuggling ring’s “major customers—Iran and North Korea," said the report, written by a former UN arms inspector.

Source Washington Post

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Supporters of Pakistan's nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan light candles to pay tribute to him. Khan is the former leader of the arms smugglers who a report says had nuclear weapons blueprints.   (AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)
The nuclear-weapon blueprints were found on the computers of Swiss businessmen.   (Shutterstock)
The founder of Pakistan's nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, is the former leader of the arms smugglers who a report says had nuclear weapons blueprints.   (AP Photo)
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Iran • North Korea • nuclear weapons • missile • design • smuggler


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