A Bundeswehr officer had not only stashed weapons at home, but also radioactive material. This is the result of a raid in Aldenhoven in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is strontium-90, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt am Main confirmed to the AFP news agency, according to “Spiegel” on Friday.
At first it was only known that an extensive arsenal was being excavated. According to the spokeswoman, the investigation against the soldier was therefore expanded to include the allegation of unauthorized handling of radioactive substances.
The amount of strontium-90 found remained open. The carcinogenic substance is mainly used in medicine and industry. It also occurs in the context of nuclear tests and in waste from nuclear power plants.
Kalashnikov rifles, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons found
So far, the captain had been accused of violating the Foreign Trade Act and the War Weapons Control Act.
After the discovery, the Federal Ministry of Defense announced that, according to initial findings, the weapons did not come from the armed forces’ holdings. The “Spiegel” reported, citing a note from the ministry, that most of the material came from the former Eastern Bloc. According to the magazine, it is about Kalashnikov rifles, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons as well as a number of defused grenades and ammunition. The man belongs to a Bundeswehr center that is responsible for the analysis of self-made explosive devices and their defense.
The counterintelligence has switched on
The officer was also concerned about the discovery of two sensitive documents. According to “Spiegel” information, there are two current dossiers from the Federal Intelligence Service on the situation in North Korea. It remains to be seen how the accused got the sensitive papers.
“Extensive communist literature” is also said to have been seized during the raid. In addition to the public prosecutor’s office and customs, the military counter-intelligence service, which has switched on its counterintelligence, is investigating the information. (jmh / AFP)