Man faces terrorism charges after trace amount of uranium found at Heathrow Airport
London, UK - A man has been arrested and faces terrorism charges after traces of uranium were found in a package at Heathrow Airport.
A man in his 60s, whose name has not been revealed, was arrested at his home in northwestern England on Saturday per Reuters.
On December 29, Border Force officers found the radioactive material with a shipment of scrap metal during routine screening of a package which, according to The Sun, was sent from Pakistan and was bound for Iranian nationals in the UK.
Although the amount of uranium detected was small, the man was detained as part of the investigation into the discovery of the material on a suspicion of terror offense.
Commander Richard Smith of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command reportedly said, "I want to be clear that despite making this arrest, and based on what we currently know, this incident still does not appear to be linked to any direct threat to the public."
Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a chemical and biological weapons expert, previously told the BBC that the incident "should not worry the public."
Commander Smith also said that while there seems to be no link to a terror plot, "detectives are continuing with their inquiries to ensure this is definitely the case."
Cover photo: IMAGO / i Images