UN Nuclear Agency: Stolen Mexican Radioactive Material Could Be Used For 'Dirty Bomb'

[bmdb]

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/12/04/stolen-mexican-radioactive-material-could-be-used-for-dirty-bomb/?cmpid=fnl_fb

The U.N. nuclear agency warned that a truck carrying a potentially "extremely dangerous" radioactive substance has been stolen in Mexico and its load could be used to build a so-called dirty bomb, a weapon that combines radioactive material with conventional explosives.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the truck was carrying cobalt-60, which is used for radiotherapy treatment to combat cancer. An agency statement Wednesday said the truck was stolen Monday while taking the material to a radioactive waste storage center from the northern city of Tijuana.

The atomic agency said the heist occurred in Tepojaco, a town less than 40 miles outside of Mexico City, describing the load as "extremely dangerous" if damaged or removed from its protective shielding.

[Pink Rabbit]

How did they get close enough to find 1.4 ounces of radioactive cobalt? A drone couldnt find a needle on a haystack. There are reports the material is still in a field unable to be collected yet due to safety concerns. How can they be sure they have even half of it left? What about the reports on CNN that the thief called someone on his Cell phone or radio that they had gotten the item? Why is that piece of information being dropped from subsequent stories? Did the theives have a partner that picked them up? Is there a cover up? If so, what does that mean?

[sheme]

I was half asleep last night- on the BBC world service some prog host was going on and on about how this stuff could be used as a dirty bomb, he repeated this message enough to make we wonder about the whole agenda of his interview technique, was he attempting to warn us or create awareness to terrorists that this would be an easy weapon to master, or did he just like the sound of his own fear porn.
The stuff is supposed to have been retrieved and health warnings have gone out to the thieves.

[Pink Rabbit]

Update:


Eibenschutz said the pellets are inside an unbroken copper cylinder about 4-inches (10-centimers) long and 1.2-inches (3-centimeters) in diameter.

So they have a photo of this "undamaged" object from ......a satellite or other source they aren't revealing ?

Still doesn't explain the testimony of the phone call "it's done", why the perpetrators left without stolen truck, why they opened up the casing presumably by their private get away vehicle before they left (could get caught since they were so close to the theft site and the tied up guys could talk). And then left without tube, truck, or crane. How did they realize it was radioactive if it was a copper tube? Or why else would they leave it in the field?


(Juan Eibenschutz, director general of the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards)

[Pink Rabbit]

The cargo truck hauling the cobalt-60 was stolen from a gas station early Monday in the neighboring state of Hidalgo, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from where the material was recovered, Jimenez said.

So they did drive far enough to be safe from discovery by the guys they tied up.
But how did they leave the area then, after they opened up the casing?
Again, was there a larger conspiracy?
Did the second guy drive the getaway car behind the truck for some reason so they could have a second way to escape?

[sheme]

On the surface it looks like the contents of the truck was the object of the heist. It has to be a lot easier to escape in an unknown car than a known lorry. All a bit fissy!