On Saturday, the internal security service of Georgia announced that it had detained three of its Chinese nationals in the capital Tbilisi, on grounds that they had tried to unlawfully acquire two kilos of uranium which is the nuclear material of Georgia, according to the Interpress news agency of Georgia.
The deputy head of the State Security Service of Georgia was quoted by Interpress as saying that the three detainees had intended to purchase the uranium at a price of $400,000 and take it to China, through Russia. It was nuclear material, it said, with no further elaboration on the motive of the intended purchase being explained.
It also quoted the security officer stating that the detainees were charged with offences that could make them serve up to 10 years in jail.
One of the biggest anxieties following the collapse of the Soviet Union, of which Georgia was a part in 1991, was the security of the nuclear materials left over by the Soviet Union. The illegal sales of nuclear materials in Georgia have had a number of severe incidents in the last few decades.
In July, one Georgian and one Turkish citizen were arrested for illegal acquisition, possession, and release of radioactive substances, which the national security service asserted might have been utilized to create a lethal bomb.
