If Russian aggression and Chinese spying aren’t enough to keep you up at night, wait until you hear about what the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a confidential report this week.
They revealed that 2.5 tons of natural uranium have gone missing from a site in Libya that is not controlled by the government.
Reuters also reported that the U.N. nuclear watchdog told member states of the news this week.
Rafael Grossi, the IAEA chief, said that the inspection was supposed to take place last year, but “had to be postponed because of the security situation in the region.”
Those doing the investigation “found that 10 drums containing approximately 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of UOC (uranium ore concentrate) previously declared by (Libya) … as being stored at that location were not present at the location,” the report said.
“The loss of knowledge about the present location of nuclear material may present a radiological risk, as well as nuclear security concerns,” the report said.
According to officials, there is a massive investigation already taking place to find the missing nuclear materials.
Natural uranium contains approximately 0.7% uranium-235, this is the isotope that is needed to produce nuclear weapons, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Committee.
Natural uranium has to go through an enrichment process to increase the concentration of uranium-235 before it can be made into a nuclear weapon.
Libya is an extremely unstable and dangerous country, ISIS and al-Qaeda terror groups operate in the country and have been known to carry out attacks within the borders.
The U.S. State Department has put in place the strongest travel advisory for Libya, they warn American citizens not to travel to the country because of “crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.”
Worldwide anxiety will continue until this natural uranium has been found.
