Uranium found at Heathrow ‘could have been part of dry run by Iranian terrorists’
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A shipment of uranium discovered at Heathrow could have been part of a dry run operation by Iranian terrorists to test the resilience of security measures during recent Border Force strikes, a military intelligence expert has warned.
Counter-terror police have launched an urgent investigation after the radioactive substance was identified among a shipment of scrap metal on board an Oman Air flight from Pakistan.
The consignment – bound for an Iranian-registered business in the UK – arrived at Heathrow on Dec 29, when Border Force staff were in the grip of an eight day walk-out.
The suspicious material, which could be used in the manufacture of a “dirty bomb”, was detected by officials who were not on strike using sophisticated radioactive scanning equipment.
Concerns have been expressed that it could have been part of a wider plot by state-backed Iranian terrorists to smuggle deadly material into the country in order to target UK-based dissidents opposed to the regime in Tehran.
Philip Ingram, a former senior military intelligence officer, said uranium would not necessarily be the most obvious material for use in a “dirty bomb”, but the shipment could have been part of a “dry run” during the strikes to test whether a more dangerous substance could get through.
He told The Telegraph: “If you were to use depleted uranium in a ‘dirty bomb’, like any isotope it would cause a contamination issue – but there are a lot more radioactive isotopes out there that would be easier to get hold of and would have a much greater effect.
“It’s definitely a possibility that this could have been some form of reconnaissance or dry run to test how the security was operating during the industrial action.”
Mr Ingram said that while the discovery of the uranium was concerning, there was some comfort to be found in the fact that even a small amount had been successfully identified during routine checks at Heathrow.
It is understood the uranium was contained within metal bars, and experts have said it is “pretty much unheard of” to ship scrap metal around the world by air freight because of the cost.
