Friday, March 11, 2011

Prosecutors have charged a Pakistani with running a smuggling operation that shipped materials and equipment to the agencies operating Pakistan's nuclear program

A grand-jury indictment in Baltimore accuses Nadeem Akhtar, 45, who operated an export firm in Maryland, of obtaining the items from U.S. companies and illegally exporting them to agencies that are on a U.S. Commerce Department blacklist. Prosecutors said the materials include radiation-detection devices, calibration equipment and nuclear-grade resins that can be used directly or indirectly in activities related to nuclear reactors and the processing and production of nuclear-related materials. The indictment alleges that Akhtar worked with another man, not identified in the indictment. This man directed Akhtar with a shopping list and told him how to conceal where the items were being shipped, the indictment said. The unidentified man, also charged in the indictment, is believed to be in Pakistan and out of reach of U.S. authorities, according to court papers.

No comments: