Sydney
Al Qaida claims to have purchased small, portable nuclear bombs, a Pakistani journalist told Australian television this week. Hamid Mir, who is writing a biography of Osama bin Laden, said that bin Laden deputy Ayman al-Zawahri bragged about al Qaida’s nuclear capability in a 2001 interview. “If you have $30 million, go to the black market in Central Asia and contact any disgruntled ex–Soviet scientist,” al-Zawahri told Mir. “Dozens of smart briefcase bombs are available.” Just one of the “suitcase nukes,” which the Soviets built in the 1960s, could kill tens of thousands of people. But Russian officials said al Qaida was either bluffing or had been duped, because the bombs had a life span of only a few years.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 20, 2024Cartoons Monday's cartoons - flags flipped, Diddy dunked, and more
-
Diddy admits to beating girlfriend after videoSpeed Read Though he previously denied allegations of abuse, Combs apologized for abusing Cassie Ventura following the release of new CCTV footage
-
Biden delivers Morehouse graduation speechSpeed Read It was the president's first time addressing a college campus since the breakout of Gaza war protests
