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Brussels Bombers Filmed Nuclear Researchers, Hoped To Build A "Dirty Bomb," Expert Says (nbcnews.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the threat-to-world-peace dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from NBC News: The brothers behind this week's Brussels bombings also spied on a top nuclear researcher and hoped to build a so-called "dirty bomb," an expert involved in a probe into ISIS threats told NBC News on Thursday. Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui were responsible for planting a hidden camera outside the Belgian researcher's house, according to Claude Moniquet, a French former intelligence official who was hired to investigate potential plots targeting Europe's nuclear sector. This camera produced more than 10 hours of film showing the comings and goings of senior researcher at a Belgian nuclear center and his family. "The terrorist cell ... naively believed they could use him to penetrate a lab to obtain nuclear material to make a dirty bomb," Moniquet, CEO of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center privacy consultancy said. The researcher worked at a center which stored a "significant portion of the world's supply of radioisotopes," according to the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C. These isotopes are used in hospitals and factories around the world but can also be used to make a so-called "dirty bomb" -- a device that could spread radioactive material across a wide area.

30 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. Naively? by mveloso · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm not sure that's very naive at all. In fact, "help us your we'll kill your family" is a very powerful motivator.

    1. Re:Naively? by khasim · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The naive part is the interest in a "dirty bomb" in the first place.

      Why take on the significant additional risk of discovery for something that won't inflict much more damage?

      A "dirty bomb" only spreads radioactive material in the area where it explodes. So it is easier to just rely upon shrapnel and the explosion. Any radioactive material they could get probably wouldn't do more damage than that. Most of it just isn't that damaging. Except in large quantities over many years.

      It's the news shows that have played up the "threat" of a "dirty bomb".

    2. Re:Naively? by matbury · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you believe that that primary intention of acts of terror is to cause harm, then yes, that sounds reasonable. However, as far as I understand it, the main point of acts of terror is usually to make people irrationally afraid (cars, dogs, and swimming pools are more dangerous). For that purpose, dirty bombs and the way they've been hyped in movies and the media, as you've stated, are perfect for terror attacks.

  2. If their intent is to destroy ... by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I, as an immigrant to the West, appreciate what I have gotten, and am still getting, and I do my best to contribute back to the society

    On the other hand, I do know that there are other immigrants who not only do not appreciate what the West has offered them, they intend to disrupt, even to destroy the very society that gave them a helping hand when they need it

    The one thing that I find about the Western people - mainly the Whites - are that they are being very kind, too kind some times

    While that might be a good trait, it might also turn into a weakness

    You see, those immigrants (or descendants of immigrants) who intend to make trouble - you guys (the White folks) still tolerate them, to the extend that even after those motherfuckers kill your people, you still standing up for them, in the name of, so called 'equality', 'diversity' et cetera

    I dunno

    I, as an immigrant to the West, is very very angry with those motherfuckers --- if it is up to me, those motherfuckers would be deported yesterday, every single fucking one of them

    I mean, if those immigrants don't appreciate what the West has given them, they should move the fuck OUT

    Stop using religion or whatever fucking excuse to carry out their despicable act

    I don't care who they are, if I invite a guess into my house and that guess start to make trouble, he or she will either be thrown out, or a bullet in the head

    But the, I am only an immigrant from China --- and my opinion, of course, can not represent that of the hosts - the White folks who have endless tolerance towards motherfuckers who create troubles

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re:If their intent is to destroy ... by Braintrust · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I haven't posted on Slashdot in years, but I recently posted something somewhere that I will repost here in reply to you.

      It was initially a response to an article written by Roger Simon, titled "Are We Ready for Reality after the Brussels Terror Attacks?".

      https://pjmedia.com/diaryofama...

      If you want to know how suicidal Western culture is at this point re. Islam, just watch how I get called out as a racist for daring to say these things.

      Point is, I agree with everything you said, and I thank you for posting it.

      Asian and Western cultures have their differences, but the last thing either society is trying to do to this world is bring into existence some kind of apocalyptic scenario. In my opinion Islam is utterly incompatible with ANY other culture in the long run, and we can blame ourselves all we want because that's safer today, but the problem will never go away until we fight back, and fight to win.

      Anyway, here's my repost in its entirety:

      Mr. Simon,

      I don't know if you will ever read this, regardless, here goes:

      I'm with you. I agree with everything you've said in your article, "Are We Ready for Reality after the Brussels Terror Attacks?".

      I'm very sure that thousands and thousands and thousands of people from every corner of the globe agree with everything you've said.

      I agreed with your conclusions yesterday. I agreed with them last November. I agreed in London, and Madrid, and Beslan, and Mumbai, and of course in New York and Washington.

      I've agreed with you each of the 28,025 times the website thereligionofpeace.com has documented an attack that has occurred in the name of Islam world-wide SINCE 9/11.

      I agreed with you when Sadat was murdered. I agreed with you when people fell from the sky over Lockerbie.

      I agreed with you during the Six-Day War. I agreed with during the Yom Kippur War.

      I agreed with you when I learned of Churchill's thoughts during the River War.

      I agreed with you when I learned about the Siege of Vienna in 1683.

      I agreed with you when I learned that the Crusades were defensive in nature.

      I agreed with you when I learned of the Battle of Tours and Charles Martel.

      When I look at the history of the last 1400 years, and I see that Islam is a predatory ideology founded by a warlord, I agree with you.

      My question to you, and to anyone else reading this who has a thought to add, what next?

      Who is going to organize all of us to destroy this culture of hate once and for all?

      Who is going to bring about the cultural revolution, and it would take nothing less than that in the West at this point, to really, really fight back, and fight back to not just win and hold in check, but to win for all time?

      This has been going on for 1400 years, and I can't even get my closest friends and family to acknowledge the threat we face right now, today.

      I ask you Mr. Simon, what next?

      p.s. Say what you want about the Chinese and Japanese, etc, they are not fools in the way that we in the West are, and not letting The Enemy infiltrate their societies en masse as we have done, is like adding 10% annual growth to their prospective GDP(s). It's a huge bonus for them not having to fight this fight. And all they've had to do to gain that advantage is be honest about the reality they inhabit.

      --
      Years later, a doctor will tell me that I have an I.Q. of 48, and am what some people call "mentally retarded".
    2. Re:If their intent is to destroy ... by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 2

      ... just watch how I get called out as a racist for daring to say these things ...

      Dear Braintrust,

      Not only they call me 'racist', they also tell me the following:

      "Who the fuck you think you are? The Whites have decided to not do anything about it, and let me remind you --- you are only a chink"

      Yes, that's the kind of 'reply' I got

      Those folks are so gung-ho because of the non-action from the Whites

      If you Whites can get your act together and ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING TO COUNTER THEM they wouldn't be so fucking full of it

      I have had it with those motherfuckers --- before they bombed the London subway, I read in a forum somewhere that they actually called London - Londonistan !!

      No, I am not kiddin'

      They have become so embolden because of the non-action from the Whites

      To them, you Whites are but a bunch of weak-minded cowards, that they can do anything they want to you and you guys just can't do anything back

      Please do something, you White folks, PLEASE DO SOMETHING !!

      --
      Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    3. Re:If their intent is to destroy ... by dbIII · · Score: 2, Insightful

      In my opinion Islam is utterly incompatible with ANY other culture in the long run

      Hundreds of years of history says otherwise. Various troubles have been equivalent to Christian groups fighting each other but we tend to forget that because it's easier to see problems on the outside.

    4. Re:If their intent is to destroy ... by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's a serious mistake to label the threat 'Islam.'

      The terrorists are an extreme branch of Islam. They embrace an antiquated literal interpretation of the Koran. Most Muslims are not like them.

      There are a huge number of Muslims in the world, and if you 'draw the line' by grouping them with the human-garbage terrorists of ISIS and Al Quida, you're pushing a lot of people who can and will be our allies over to the other side. The problems in the Islamic world won't be solved by killing them all or forcing them all to convert to another religion. We need their help to fix things.

    5. Re: If their intent is to destroy ... by KGIII · · Score: 2

      I keep thinking about saying this and I never do because I am not sure how to say it properly. There are a few political things we are a bit different about but that's okay. The gist of it is welcome to your country. It is not welcome to my country. Every time, you express your gratitude for your adopted country. Even when you are disappointed you are seemingly sincere in your appreciation.

      So, it is not welcome to my country but, rather, it is welcome to your country. It is a bit late to say so but I prefer to think of it as long-overdue. Thanks for coming.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    6. Re:If their intent is to destroy ... by Tom · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If Christians were in the same social and economic situation as the Muslims are right now they would behave exactly the same.

      There are Christians living in the Middle East. A minority yes, but a few millions. Never heard of them becoming terrorists, maybe you can enlighten us?

      Stop the excuses. Christians might react violently as well, yes. But claiming they would behave exactly the same is the exact reductionism you rail against. No, they would not. Maybe similar, maybe not, but definitely not exactly.

      Islam is part of the problem. Maybe a small part, maybe a big part, that's an interesting discussion. But claiming its contribution is zero is delusional.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  3. That's it for SMRs by mdsolar · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If you need heavy security at each plant, the idea of small plants comes to an end.

  4. Damn by Dorianny · · Score: 2

    Just what we needed. More fuel for the AntiNuclearPower campaigners just as the risk from Climate Change is fast aproaching critical thresholds

  5. Re:It's not forever a pipe dream by khasim · · Score: 5, Informative

    That troubling part is that as incompetent as they may be, they're still quite highly effective.

    But they aren't. In the USofA, you are more likely to be killed while moving furniture than by a terrorist.

    If someone kills you tomorrow, it will probably be someone you know (friend or family) or a traffic accident.

    I used to work for an insurance company. You could get a "terrorism" rider on your policy at additional cost. That cost? $1. And it was pure profit for the company.

    The problem is that our news agencies and politicians are SELLING the idea of a terrorism threat for their own benefit.

  6. Re:It's not forever a pipe dream by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Thereby guaranteeing the enmity of every Muslim on the planet. Which is exactly what Daesh want. Thanks for letting us know who you're working for.

    --
    Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  7. Terrorism by Etherwalk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The naive part is the interest in a "dirty bomb" in the first place.

    Why take on the significant additional risk of discovery for something that won't inflict much more damage?

    You're thinking like an engineer, not a terrorist. The objective of a terrorist is to create fear and mass panic, and in this case overreaction that ultimately leads to an invasion which they can claim is a holy war against Islam.

    A bomb the press can call "nuclear" will get more press coverage and a LOT more concern and reaction than an IED. Not necessarily because of a worse effect, but because laypeople are afraid of and do not understand science. That's why MRI's are called MRI's today instead of nMRI's. That's why a movies and television shows can warn against reactors exploding, when nuclear reactors do NOT explode. A dirty bomb can scare people more, and that helps terrorists.

    You've also got the possibility of a propaganda radiation murder like when Putin had that guy in the UK murdered with... I think soup? That gets a lot of coverage.

    1. Re:Terrorism by dbIII · · Score: 3, Insightful

      when nuclear reactors do NOT explode

      One did. It may have been a steam explosion but bits did go everywhere at high speed. Going off like an atomic bomb is of course a different story.

  8. What are you trying to say? by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 2

    ... A non-white person who capitalizes the word 'White' is an unusual thing to encounter ...

    A non Japanese person who capitalizes the word "Japanese" ... is that so unusual?

    A non Chinese person who capitalizes the word "Chinese" ... is that, again, so unusual?

    Even when I talk about the Blacks, I do capitalize the "B" ...

    So ... please tell us, what are you really trying to say?

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re: What are you trying to say? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      That's actually a grammatical error. Typically, when referring to a group of people you should only capitalize the first letter if the group identifier is itself a proper noun, like France, Japan, Asia, etc. For example, the people who live in France are collectively 'the French' and the people in Japan are collectively 'the Japanese', but unless you're describing people with the same last name, you shouldn't refer to them as 'the Blacks'.

  9. Re:Doesn't add up.... by smooth+wombat · · Score: 3, Informative

    And yet extraordinarily they were left free to carry out bombings and kill innocent civilians.

    Several of the 9/11 hijackers, including the two lead planners, were on watch lists yet not only entered the U.S. under their own names, moved about the country at will. They were never stopped, including after their visas had expired and, as we know, flew on multiple flights out of Boston to test and gauge security and to plan their attack.

    Sounds like Belgium and Turkey were following the lead of George Bush and ignoring the problem.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  10. Re:Doesn't add up.... by ScentCone · · Score: 2

    Sounds like Belgium and Turkey were following the lead of George Bush and ignoring the problem.

    So your problem is that, a few months into office, Bush didn't change Clinton's policies fast enough?

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  11. Re:Doesn't add up.... by CajunArson · · Score: 2

    So in addition to being a paid shill you're:
    1. A climate change denialist since you don't support nuclear.
    2. A fucking truther whackjob.

    --
    AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
  12. Here is why that did not happen by dbIII · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Bin Laden was one of those "1%", an oil millionaire from a family that are still oil millionaires. The people in Saudi Arabia who were found to be funding ISIS were also part of that "1%" - more accurate to say 0.01% or far less though.
    Bin Laden did not want to blow up the people in the middle east who made the decisions he disagreed with by inviting the west in, he wanted to kill some of us "worthless" westerners to scare us into actions that would force the people in the middle east to kick westerners out. He liked the "1%" but the "99%" were targets.

    There's no point looking at it like a popular uprising instead of bloodthirsty games played by medieval style aristocrats or proxies of them - the "99%" are just targets and useful idiots and not active participants who are influencing the situation.

    So somehow beyond all logic those really smart terrorists who plan these attacks are really, really stupid because they make smart plans to attack stupid targets, targets that gain them nothing but do ensure more money, a lot more money is spent fighting those terrorists

    Useful idiots sent in to stir up trouble and drive a wedge between the west and anyone in the middle east that will work with us.

  13. Here comes the apologist ... by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Every single time we bring up the issue of the terrorists being of a certain faith there sure come up people apologizing for them ... and as always, they will bring up "Christianity being the most evil of all and/or issue regarding the "Crusades", and so on ...
     
    Can't you guys be truthful, for just a second, folks?

    TODAY the bombers are not Christians

    TODAY those who are killing people in Paris, in Belgium, in Madrid, in Mumbai, in London, in New York City, in San Bernardino, are not Christians !!

    Get on with REALITY, folks !

    Stop apologizing for those who are carrying out the terrorist acts !!

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
  14. Re: How many more... by Black+Parrot · · Score: 2

    On a related note, for those who hold Islam responsible for recent terrorism, who do you hold responsible for the IRA's terrorism?

    Irish Catholicism?

    All Catholicism?

    All Christianity?

    All religion?

    All people?

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  15. Re:Doesn't add up.... by Black+Parrot · · Score: 2

    I suspect a lot of the problem was the sheer mass of intelligence involved. You hear about low-level officials that tried to sound the alarm, but the problem is that everyone passed their concerns to their boss, and every boss winnowed it down for presentation to their own boss, and as a result the signs of 9-11 that we now recognize by hindsight didn't make it to the top.

    Not sure there's a solution for this. (See also the recent story on current NSA data overload.)

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  16. Re:That shows how naive you are ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You say this because you guys do not mix with them, nor understand the tenet of their culture

    I grew up in a poorer neighborhood that had several neighboring groups of different immigrants, and the cheap housing I found in university was in a mostly middle eastern neighborhood. You think I didn't mix enough with them, when instead it looks to me like your characterization seems like it is completely disconnected from the reality of immigrants who cared more about making money, getting good jobs and spouses, and raising their kids to do well in school than political and religious tenets. I'm not going to speculate on how much mixing you did, as observations are useless if you just see everything through tinted glasses.

    DO NOT FORGET that their community plays the part of the ***support group***, providing them everything from financial aid to networking to even safe houses for them to hide

    How many people provided safe houses and financial support? Even if it was 50%, you would still be an asshole for treating the other half like terrorists.

    They threw stones at the cops !

    So did the blacks in neighborhoods near where I grew up, and so did college students at the school I went to... there are a lot of reasons groups of people get pissed off at cops and end up doing stupid things to police.

    Yes, their community actually feel proud of having terrorists amongst them ! The terrorists are their "heroes", someone who 'do things for them'

    Again, what fraction? Are you extrapolating from a minority? How are you any different than those that say all Americans are proud of Trump, and that all Russians are proud of the Soviet era, other than you might be extrapolating from an even smaller minority?

    But of course, you do not read this type of 'news' in the mainstream media -

    And yet I've heard about the issues cops faced in those neighborhoods from mainstream media already... I find it funny how often people try to emphasize some point by claiming it wasn't covered by media, when it was, and that doesn't change how much or how little BS is involved in the original point.

    You, Sir, are naive --- no matter how you want to deny it, those of us who are not from the West get to witness your naivete being displayed in the open

    And yet when I travel overseas and out of the west, the most ridiculed aspects of westerners is not those that are too generous or open, or naively kind. Instead you hear nonstop complaints, insults, and jokes about how intolerant westerners are, how self-centered they are to the point of trying to force everyone else to act like them or GTFO. Any truth to what you say about problems in the West is not exclusive to the West, and you're just another person trying to make neat, easy piles to point fingers at.

    You want people to not be naive and see reality? Start by not pretending that these problems are not neat little categories that are easy to blame instead of the big fucking mess it actually is.

  17. Not an apologist, don't pretend I'm strawman by dbIII · · Score: 4, Insightful

    To speak plainly Islam is not the problem here but the pig fucking evil pieces of shit that are using it as an excuse. In no way am I an apologist for them and I find it incredibly insulting that you wish to pretend that I am. I also pity you for falling for the excuse from those pig fucking pieces of shit that their God told them to do it. How can you swallow that shit? When Manson said that shit we didn't fall for it - why should we fall for it with this bunch of killers instead?

    1. Re:Not an apologist, don't pretend I'm strawman by Barsteward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      if you are going to blame Islam then you have to tar all the abrahamic holy books with the same brush. they all have passages/god inspired events in them that can be used to justify demented actions by demented people, none of those books/ideologies are innocent. All those books should be burnt as books of hatred.

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    2. Re:Not an apologist, don't pretend I'm strawman by Barsteward · · Score: 2

      i covered that by saying "they all have passages/god inspired events in them that can be used to justify demented actions by demented people". my point was that if some demented christians wanted to do an ISIS, they could justify it quite happily, look up god inspired genocide in the bible as an example.

      "Interpretation" is used to spin away the bad stuff and try and make it look good, you should never have to do an interpretation for "good". The demented sharia law supporters use their book literally and also then add some "interpretation". These ISIS guys are at the same stage of development of being civilised as the christians of the crusades era and that attitude ran for hundreds of years until they slowly got it. ISIS have only been around a for a few days in comparison.

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
  18. Not So Fast... by IBitOBear · · Score: 4, Informative

    Nuclear Material in/near Reactors Secure's Itself.

    Dry fuel pellets are harmless.

    Fuel rods are made by welding dry pellets into steel I-Beams or similar big, heavy, structures.

    Used (wet) fuel pellets are _fantastically_ _dangerous_ to handle, so much so that they have to kept wet at all times to keep them from roasting everything while they cool.

    Back in the seventies my father (nuclear engineer) said he'd love to stage, and televise, a "raid" on a nuclear power facility... The _months_ necessary to get the stuff off the premises (let alone ground up into nuclear dust) would have probably lost its audience. But the "Fast As Possible" "Smallest Crew" version of the raid that the anti-nuke people were putting in movies and scare politics would be thoroughly disproved.

    Even if I installed a pebble-bed reactor in your garage (and one _would_ fit), any attempt to turn it into a "dirty bomb" would fatal to the person attempting it. Someone could blow up the pebble-bed itself, but that would move a few of the "pebbles", if any, a short distance. Someone with a radiation counter and a radiation suit could then just go pick them up with tongs.

    So the terrorists "want{ed} to build a dirty bomb" is about as likely to lead to that end as my personal desire to own all of Google _and_ Tesla Motors outright as a pure proprietorship.

    --
    Innocent people shouldn't be forced to pay for inferior software development.
    --"Code Complete" Microsoft Press