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Jan. 4, 2005 0:32 | Updated Jan. 4, 2005 2:10
Exclusive: Nuke trader Khan gave major boost to Arab state
By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN
Days after former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy expressed fears that Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia might have acquired some kind of nuclear capability via an illicit weapons trafficking network run by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the chief architect of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, Israeli military sources have told The Jerusalem Post that, thanks to Khan, one of those three Arab states now has the potential to achieve a "significant nuclear leap."
The sources said that Israel is aware of Khan's contacts with all three countries, but that he had provided to one of them expertise and material to manufacture nuclear bombs. They would not specify which country.
The sources also spoke of an assessment in the IDF that Arab terrorist organizations are stepping up their efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear bombs.
They noted that there is now evidence of increased debate as to whether Islamic law could allow for the deaths of Muslims as part of the price when tens of millions of heathens are killed ? a debate whose very nature, the sources said, implies that thought is being given to the notion of using weapons of mass destruction.
In an interview with the Post last week, former Mossad chief and national security adviser Halevy spoke of his concerns, which he stressed did not derive from any recent access to classified material, that Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt might have acquired nuclear parts from Khan.
Khan had been running a black market in nuclear proliferation across the Middle East. According to a New York Times article last week, US intelligence and International Atomic Energy Association agents are working to untangle Khan's network. Investigators say he visited 18 countries, including Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, on what they believe were business trips, either to buy materials like uranium ore or to sell atomic goods, before he was arrested.
Khan also divulged centrifuge technology and provided Libya with a design for nuclear bombs, the Times article said. But crucial questions about the extent of Khan's proliferation activities have remained unanswered because Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf pardoned him and has refused to allow him to be questioned directly by the CIA.
Meanwhile back at the Whitehouse, Bill and Monica were taking care of more important business...
Jan. 4, 2005 0:32 | Updated Jan. 4, 2005 2:10
Exclusive: Nuke trader Khan gave major boost to Arab state
By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN
Days after former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy expressed fears that Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia might have acquired some kind of nuclear capability via an illicit weapons trafficking network run by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the chief architect of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, Israeli military sources have told The Jerusalem Post that, thanks to Khan, one of those three Arab states now has the potential to achieve a "significant nuclear leap."
The sources said that Israel is aware of Khan's contacts with all three countries, but that he had provided to one of them expertise and material to manufacture nuclear bombs. They would not specify which country.
The sources also spoke of an assessment in the IDF that Arab terrorist organizations are stepping up their efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear bombs.
They noted that there is now evidence of increased debate as to whether Islamic law could allow for the deaths of Muslims as part of the price when tens of millions of heathens are killed ? a debate whose very nature, the sources said, implies that thought is being given to the notion of using weapons of mass destruction.
In an interview with the Post last week, former Mossad chief and national security adviser Halevy spoke of his concerns, which he stressed did not derive from any recent access to classified material, that Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt might have acquired nuclear parts from Khan.
Khan had been running a black market in nuclear proliferation across the Middle East. According to a New York Times article last week, US intelligence and International Atomic Energy Association agents are working to untangle Khan's network. Investigators say he visited 18 countries, including Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, on what they believe were business trips, either to buy materials like uranium ore or to sell atomic goods, before he was arrested.
Khan also divulged centrifuge technology and provided Libya with a design for nuclear bombs, the Times article said. But crucial questions about the extent of Khan's proliferation activities have remained unanswered because Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf pardoned him and has refused to allow him to be questioned directly by the CIA.
Meanwhile back at the Whitehouse, Bill and Monica were taking care of more important business...
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