A SHIPMENT of uranium discovered at London 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, reports London's Daily Telegraph.
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 December 29, when Border Force staff were in the grip of an eight day strike.
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.
Commander Richard Smith, the head of Scotland Yard's counter-terror command, said: 'I want to reassure the public that the amount of contaminated material was extremely small and has been assessed by experts as posing no threat to the public.
'Although our investigation remains ongoing, from our inquiries so far, it does not appear to be linked to any direct threat. As the public would expect, however, we will continue to follow up on all available lines of enquiry to ensure this is definitely the case.'
But 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.
In November, the DailyTelegraph revealed that an Iranian hit squad had been deployed to murder two British journalists working for a Farsi-language television station based in the UK.
SeaNews Turkey
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 December 29, when Border Force staff were in the grip of an eight day strike.
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.
Commander Richard Smith, the head of Scotland Yard's counter-terror command, said: 'I want to reassure the public that the amount of contaminated material was extremely small and has been assessed by experts as posing no threat to the public.
'Although our investigation remains ongoing, from our inquiries so far, it does not appear to be linked to any direct threat. As the public would expect, however, we will continue to follow up on all available lines of enquiry to ensure this is definitely the case.'
But 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.
In November, the DailyTelegraph revealed that an Iranian hit squad had been deployed to murder two British journalists working for a Farsi-language television station based in the UK.
SeaNews Turkey
