Almost two weeks after uranium was found in a cargo package at London’s Heathrow Airport, a man on Sunday was arrested over suspicion of a terror offence, the metropolitan police said. The man, in his 60s, was been arrested under Section 09 of the Terrorism Act 2006, which covers the making and possession of radioactive devices and material. According to BBC, the man was released on bail until April.
Uranium, a harmful material used to make nuclear weapons, was found along with scrap metal at the airport by the Border Force during a routine check on Dec 29. The package which reportedly came from Pakistan, officials anticipated it could have been intended to be used in the making of a harmful bomb. AFP reported that the package arrived from an Oman Air passenger jet from Muscat.
However, the head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, Commander Richard Smith said that based on what the officials currently know, the incident “still does not appear to be linked to any direct threat to the public.”
Watch | UK police probe uranium package seized at Heathrow Airport
He added that the investigation is still underway to “ensure this is definetly the case.”
The officials further reported that the search for the Cheshire property is completed and no material that could possibly possess a threat to the citizens has not been found.
Back in 2003, the then head of the UK’s MI5, Eliza Manningham-Buller, citing some intelligence reports, wanted that it was only a “matter of time” before a bomb or chemical attack was launched in a city.
(With inputs from agencies)
