‘Terrorists seize nuclear material’ at university near Mosul, Iraq

Mike Gallagher

Jul 10, 2014 - 08:07

Jul 10, 2014 - 08:57

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‘Terrorists seize nuclear material’ at university near Mosul, Iraq

' In this undated photo posted on a militant website that frequently carries official statements from the Islamic State extremist group, smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul

MILITANTS in Iraq have taken hold of nuclear materials at university science facilities near the northe city of Mosul, the Iraqi govement has said in a letter to the United Nations.

Nearly 40 kilograms of uranium compounds were kept at Mosul University, Iraq"s U.N. Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the July 8 letter exclusively obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

"Terrorist groups have seized control of nuclear material at the sites that came out of the control of the state,” Alhakim wrote, adding that such materials "can be used in manufacturing weapons of mass destruction.”

"These nuclear materials, despite the limited amounts mentioned, can enable terrorist groups, with the availability of the required expertise, to use it separate or in combination with other materials in its terrorist acts,” said Alhakim.

He waed that they could also be smuggled out of Iraq.

Read the full letter obtained by Reuters here.

But two U.S. officials told CNN on Wednesday that the small amounts of uranium aren"t enriched or weapons-grade, prompting only minimal conce.

Meanwhile, ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terror group, this week threatened to bomb the World Cup when it is held in Qatar in eight years time.

The militant group waed FIFA if the touament went ahead in the Arab country it would take action with long-range Scud missiles.

The threat was in a message posted on ISIS"s forum alplatformmedia.com on Sunday and republished in Egypt"s Al Wattan newspaper.

Addressing the FIFA President by his full first name "Joseph”, the terror group "suggest” Mr Blatter had better find a replacement venue for the Qatar event.

But experts have cast doubt on whether the terror group even has the capability to carry out their threat.

Elliot Nelson, a British blogger who tracks munitions being used in Syria, said "The only danger that Islamic State scud is to anyone at the moment is if they accidentally run over a pedestrian showing it off”.