Friday October 22, 2021
Weapons and radioactive material
Bundeswehr officer collected strontium-90
A week and a half ago, investigators discovered an extensive arsenal at a North Rhine-Westphalian Bundeswehr officer. They have to expand their allegations: The captain is also hoarding radioactive material and is in possession of sensitive dossiers on North Korea.
Radioactive material was also found in the case of the Bundeswehr officer who was arrested in North Rhine-Westphalia for having large stocks of weapons. It is about strontium-90, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor in Frankfurt am Main has confirmed a message from “Spiegel”. According to the spokeswoman, the investigation against the soldier was therefore expanded to include the allegation of unauthorized handling of radioactive substances.
How much strontium-90 the officer had collected 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.
Investigators had discovered an extensive weapons depot at the Bundeswehr officer on October 12 during a raid in Aldenhoven in the Düren district in North Rhine-Westphalia. So far, the captain had been accused of violating the Foreign Trade and War Weapons Control Act.
“Extensive Communist Literature”
After the discovery, the Federal Ministry of Defense announced that, according to initial findings, the weapons did not come from the armed forces. The “Spiegel” reports, citing a note from the ministry, that the majority of the material comes 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 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.