The disappearance was discovered when inspectors from the IAEA visited the city on Tuesday, says IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. – It is a worrying incident and situation. It is serious that such facilities do not have good enough control in conflict areas, says Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer, who is a professor at the University of Oslo. In the worst case, this could be sold on the black market, she believes. – If the actor behind it tries to sell the uranium on the black market, then it is difficult for the IAEA or others to have an overview of where it is stored and sold. It can be sold in parts to various players or as a set. Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer is a professor at the University of Oslo. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB The uranium should have been stored in 10 barrels, but when the nuclear energy inspectors came to the site on Tuesday, the barrels were nowhere to be found. According to Grossi, the place where the uranium has disappeared from is not under the control of the Libyan government. The Black Exchange has previously been a market for material and equipment from the nuclear weapons programme. But it’s starting to be a long time since this was last a big challenge, says the professor. – We live in a time where nuclear weapons are of greater interest to more countries than they have been for a long time. When you see that material that should be under surveillance disappears, you can start to worry about whether there might be a bigger black market than you think, says Braut-Hegghammer. The IAEA informed member countries of its findings on Wednesday evening in Vienna, where the IAEA has its headquarters. The inspection should have been carried out in 2022, but has been postponed due to a lack of safety, writes Reuters. The IAEA has launched an investigation to find out where the barrels might have gone. They warn that the uranium represents a possible radiation hazard and is a security risk. The IAEA states that it must be concentrated uranium ore (uranium ore concentrate).
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