Cablegate: Report of Nuclear Smuggling Incident in Kampala
VZCZCXYZ0004
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHKM #0037/01 0250948
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 250948Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0157
INFO RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
UNCLAS KAMPALA 000037
SIPDIS
FOR STATE ISN/WMDT AND PM/ISO/PMAT
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MNUC PARM KCRM PTER ASEC KCOR PINR UG KE KNNP
SUBJECT: REPORT OF NUCLEAR SMUGGLING INCIDENT IN KAMPALA
REF: A. 09 STATE 30541
1. (SBU) Post wishes to alert the Department and Washington
agencies per reftel A that RSO Kampala has received information
from Ugandan Police about possible nuclear material (Uranium)
currently being transported from Kampala, Uganda to Malindi, Kenya.
A Ugandan Police source only known as "Habib" is currently
transporting the material to Malindi, Kenya on a public bus where
he has made arrangements to sell it to group of Arab males. Habib
stated to the Police that the material is fake and he is doing this
as a personal mission to uncover persons who have an intent to
commit terrorist acts. Habib stated to Ugandan Police that the
fake material has a unknown mineral added to it that will cause it
to test positive for Uranium. Political-Military Action Team was
notified via TELECON at 1240 hours local time.
2. (SBU) The responses below are keyed to reftel A.
3. A. Current status: Current location is claimed to be on a bus
bound for Malindi, Kenya from Kampala, Uganda. The bus company
name and route/time information is not known. The specific meeting
place in Malindi, Kenya is unknown. Ugandan Police stated that the
source has probably not arrived yet and is still in transit at the
time of this report.
B. Type of Material: Uranium.
C. Ugandan Police stated that source told them it is fake.
D. Unknown.
E. Unknown. Ugandan Police believe that the material is in a
bottle; size and type unknown.
F. Unknown.
G. See A above.
H. See A above.
I. No additional transport information is known.
J. Material is reported to be in possession of a Uganda Male named
"Habib," Last name unknown. Ugandan police stated that the
origination point is from an unknown city in the Democratic
Republic of Congo via unknown means.
K. Source of the report of Ugandan Police Criminal Investigations
Supervisor Patrick WACHA (+256-0714-668-048). Habib directly
reported this information to WACHA.
L. WATCHA reported the information to RSO on January 25, 2010 at
1145 hours. WACHA received the information via telephone call from
Habib the previous evening.
M. N/A.
N. N/A.
O. Nothing additional is being smuggled with material.
P. Incident originated in Kampala, Uganda.
Q. N/A
R. Habib is reported to be in possession of material.
S. Material is secure in a bottle of unknown type and size.
T. No, material has left Uganda.
U. N/A
V. Only Ugandan police have this information.
W. Unknown.
X. Unknown.
Y. Ugandan Police are investigating.
Z. No criminal charges are pending.
AA. See K above.
BB. Uknown.
CC. No.
DD. Habib is a source of the Ugandan Police. No further information
is known.
4. (SBU) Action officer at Post for this incident is A/RSO Ben
Eisele reachable via +256-414-259-791 or eiselebp@state.gov.
LANIER