A Sierra Leone national has been arrested at New York’s John F Kennedy airport on suspicion of attempting to purchase uranium for export.
Patrick Campbell was charged with attempting to broker a sale of 1,000 tonnes of yellowcake uranium to Iran. The deal was allegedly made with undercover agents who were impersonating representatives of Iran. Samples of raw uranium ore were found concealed in Campbell’s shoes.
When enriched, yellowcake can be used in the manufacture of nuclear fuel and
weapons.
Campbell is accused of attempting to arrange the export of the yellowcake from Sierra Leone to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, packed in drums and disguised as the mineral chromite.
He presented himself as being affiliated with a company engaged in mining and selling uranium in Sierra Leone, according to the US complaint.
Campbell allegedly responded to an internet advert for uranium placed by a Federal agent posing as an American broker in May of last year. When confronted, he admitted to having brought a sample of the raw uranium ore with him, the complaint says.
It adds: “Campbell assisted the agents in removing the uranium from beneath the inside soles of his shoes and plastic bags containing uranium were recovered from two of Campbell’s shoes.”
If convicted, Campbell faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1m (£642,000) fine.
