Return to the WMDME home page. 

Go to Turkey WMD capabilities profile

The 18 incidents are listed reverse chronological order.
CNS cannot confirm the veracity of these reports.

1999
Date of the Incident:		28 May 1999(1)
Materials Seized:		“A certificate for the purchase of U-235;” 2.4kg lead container with U-235; exact quantity of uranium in the container not reported(2)
Origin of Material:		Moldova(3)
Reported Destination:		Not reported
Location of seizure:		Dounav Most, Bulgaria (Bulgarian-Turkish Border)(4)
Suspects:		One Turkish national(5)
Date initially reported:		29 May 1999(6)
Date of the Incident:		2 February 1999(7)
Materials Seized:		100g enriched uranium(8); another report states 5g uranium(9)
Origin of Material:		Azerbaijan(10)
Reported Destination:		Greece(11)
Location of seizure:		Bursa, Turkey(12)
Suspects:		Four Turkish nationals(13)
Date initially reported:		2 February 1999(14)
1998
Date of the Incident:		7 September 1998(15)
Materials Seized:		4.5kg "nonactive" solid uranium and 6g active "plutonium"(16)
Origin of Material:		Russia(17) or Ulba Metallurgy Plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk(18), Kazakhstan(19)
Reported Destination:		Not reported
Location of seizure:		Istanbul, Turkey(20)
Suspects:		Four Turkish nationals, three Kazakh (including a Kazakh army colonel )(21), and one Azerbaijani national(22)
Date initially reported:		7 September 1998(23)
Date of the Incident:		1 July 1998(24)
Materials Seized:		13 cylinders of uranium marked “UPAT UKA3 M8”(25)
Origin of Material:		Iran(26)
Reported Destination:		Istanbul, Turkey(27)
Location of seizure:		Van, Turkey(28)
Suspects:		5 Turkish nationals and one Iranian national(29)
Date initially reported:		1 July 1998(30)
1997
Date of the Incident:		26 May 1997(31)
Materials Seized:		850g uranium dioxide(32)
Origin of Material:		Not reported
Reported Destination:		Not reported
Location of seizure:		Bursa, Turkey(33)
Suspects:		Four individuals (nationality not reported)
Date initially reported:		26 May 1997(34)
Date of the Incident:		1 April 1997(35)
Materials Seized:		Osmium (quantity not reported)(36)
Origin of Material:		Romania(37)
Reported Destination:		Not reported
Location of seizure:		Turkey(38)
Suspects:		Three individuals (nationality not reported)(39)
Date initially reported:		1 April 1997(40)
Date of the Incident:		4 March 1997(41)
Materials Seized:		509g "raw" uranium(42)
Origin of Material:		Georgia(43)
Reported Destination:		Not reported
Location of seizure:		Ipsala, Edirne, Turkey(44)
Suspects:		Three Turkish nationals(45)
Date initially reported:		5 March 1997(46)
1996
Date of the Incident:		March 1996(47)
Materials Seized:		17g low-enriched uranium(48)
Origin of Material:		Golcuk, Kocaeli, Turkey(49)
Reported Destination:		Not reported
Location of seizure:		Antalya, Turkey(50)
Suspects:		Eleven individuals (nationality not reported)(51)
Date initially reported:		10 March 1996(52)
Date of the Incident:		March 1996(53)
Materials Seized:		20kg uranium(54)
Origin of Material:		Russia(55)
Reported Destination:		Not reported
Location of seizure:		Antalya, Turkey(56)
Suspects:		Five Turkish nationals(57)
Date initially reported:		7 March 1996(58)
Date of the Incident:		26 January 1996(59)
Materials Seized:		1.2kg uranium(60); another report states 1.128kg uranium(61)
Origin of Material:		Georgia(62)
Reported Destination:		Libya(63)
Location of seizure:		Yalova, Turkey(64)
Suspects:		Two Turkish nationals(65)
Date initially reported:		6 April 1996(66)
Date of the Incident:		22 January 1996(67)
Materials Seized:		12g highly enriched uranium(68)
Origin of Material:		Georgia(69)
Reported Destination:		Libya(70)
Location of seizure:		Zurich, Switzerland(71)
Suspects:		One Turkish national(72)
Date initially reported:		6 April 1996(73)
1995
Date of the Incident:		24 May 1995(74)
Materials Seized:		1.7kg "red mercury" and 1kg "black mercury"(75)
Origin of Material:		Not reported
Reported Destination:		Turkey(76)
Location of seizure:		Constanta, Romania(77)
Suspects:		Two Turkish nationals and three Romanian nationals(78)
Date initially reported:		24 May 1995(79)
1994
Date of the Incident:		19 October 1994(80)
Materials Seized:		750g weapons grade(81) or enriched U-238(82)
Origin of Material:		Baku, Azerbaijan(83)
Reported Destination:		Turkey(84)
Location of seizure:		Istanbul, Turkey(85)
Suspects:		One Azerbaijani national(86)
Date initially reported:		20 October 1994(87)
Date of the Incident:		19 July 1994(88)
Materials Seized:		12kg uranium(89)
Origin of Material:		Unspecified country of the former Soviet Union(90)
Reported Destination:		Not reported
Location of seizure:		Istanbul, Turkey(91)
Suspects:		Seven Turkish nationals(92)
Date initially reported:		22 July 1994(93)
Date of the Incident:		22 April 1994(94)
Materials Seized:		Uranium (quantity not reported)(95)
Origin of Material:		Not reported
Reported Destination:		Russia(96)
Location of seizure:		Istanbul, Turkey(97)
Suspects:		One Turkish national, one Azerbaijani national, and a Russian national(98)
Date initially reported:		22 April 1994(99)
1993
Date of the Incident:		27 November 1993(100)
Materials Seized:		4.5kg uranium(101)
Origin of Material:		Not reported
Reported Destination:		Not reported
Location of seizure:		Bursa, Turkey(102)
Suspects:		Three Georgian nationals(103)
Date initially reported:		27 November 1993(104)
Date of the Incident:		5 October 1993(105)
Materials Seized:		2.5kg uranium enriched to 2.5-3.5 percent U-235(106) (low enriched)(107)
Origin of Material:		Russia(108)
Reported Destination:		Iran(109)
Location of seizure:		Gayrettepe(110), Istanbul, Turkey(111)
Suspects:		Four Turkish nationals and four Iranian nationals (suspected secret service agents)(112)
Date initially reported:		6 October 1993(113)
Date of the Incident:		March 1993(114)
Materials Seized:		6kg enriched uranium(115)
Origin of Material:		Tashkent, Uzbekistan(116)
Reported Destination:		Istanbul, Turkey(117)
Location of seizure:		Not reported
Suspects:		Not reported
Date initially reported:		March 1993(118)

*Sources and Notes:

The author sought to eliminate contradictions and clearly false information, but cannot confirm the veracity of the reports from which these summaries are drawn. Case selection was based upon the following three criteria: (1) nuclear material seized in Turkey; (2) nuclear material en-route to Turkey; or, (3) nuclear material seized involving a Turkish national.

This chart is based on Turkish-, Russian-, and English-language open-source reports and information in the International Nuclear Proliferation Database and the Newly Independent States Nuclear Trafficking Database of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Access to these is only available by subscription. For subscription information click here.

Sandi Arnold and Diana McCauley, July 1999.
© Center for Nonproliferation Studies,
Monterey Institute of International Studies

(1) BTA (Sofia), 29 May 1999; in FBIS document FTS19990529000729, 29 May 1999, “Customs Seizes Radioactive Uranium at Rousse Check Point.”

(2) Ibid.

(3) Ibid.

(4) Ibid.

(5) Ibid.

(6) Ibid.

(7) Andrey Palaria, ITAR-TASS, 2 February 1999; in Lexis-Nexis, 2 February 1999, “Turkish Secret Services Confiscate Enriched Uranium,” (http://www.lexis-nexis.com); see also Anatolia, 3 February 1999; in FBIS document FTS19990203000586, 3 February 1999, “Gendarme Teams Seize 5 Grams of Uranium, 4 Detained.”

(8) Andrey Palaria, ITAR-TASS, 2 February 1999; in Lexis-Nexis, 2 February 1999, “Turkish Secret Services Confiscate Enriched Uranium.

(9) Anatolia (Ankara), 3 February 1999; in FBIS document FTS19990203000586, 3 February 1999, “Gendarme Teams Seize 5 Grams of Uranium, 4 Detained.”

(10) Ibid.

(11) “Uranyum Kacakcilari,” Sabah (Istanbul), 5 February 1999, (http://www.sabah.com.tr).

(12) Ibid.

(13) Ibid.

(14) Andrey Palaria, ITAR-TASS, 2 February 1999; in Lexis-Nexis, 2 February 1999, “Turkish Secret Services Confiscate Enriched Uranium,” (http://www.lexis-nexis.com).

(15) Anatolia (Ankara), 7 September 1998; in FBIS document FTS19980907001060, 7 September 1998, “Eight Persons Caught Smuggling Nuclear Materials.”

(16) Ibid.

(17) Ibid.

(18) Newly Independent States Nonproliferation Project (NISNP) of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) Discussions with Arthur Galishev, an official at the Kazakhstani Ministry of National Security, 9 April 1999.

(19) “Turkish Police Seize Unprocessed Uranium, Arrest Eight,” Associated Press, 7 September 1998.

(20) Gennadiy Charodeyev, “Moscow Accused of Nuclear Smuggling,” Izvestiya, 10 September 1998.

(21) “Turkish Police Arrest Uranium Smugglers,” BBC News, 7 September 1998, (http://news.bbc.co.uk).

(22) Gennadiy Charodeyev, “Moscow Accused of Nuclear Smuggling,” Izvestiya, 10 September 1998.

(23) “Turkish Police Seize Unprocessed Uranium, Arrest Eight,” Associated Press, 7 September 1998; see also

“Turkish Police Arrest Uranium Smugglers,” BBC News, 7 September 1998, (http://news.bbc.co.uk).

(24) "Van'da Ilginc Operasyon," Sabah (Istanbul), 2 July 1998, (http://www.sabah.com.tr); see also, Anatolia (Ankara), 1 July 1998; in FBIS document FBIS-TAC-98-182, “Security Teams Seize Smuggled Nuclear Material; 6 Captured;” “Turkey Police to Check Suspected Nuclear Material,” Reuters, 2 July 1998.

(25) Ali M. Koknar, “The Trade In Materials for Weapons of Mass Destruction,” International Police Review (March-April 1999), pp. 24-25.

(26) “Turkey Police to Check Suspected Nuclear Material,” Reuters, 2 July 1998.

(27) Ibid.

(28) "Van'da Ilginc Operasyon," Sabah (Istanbul), 2 July 1998, (http://www.sabah.com.tr); see also, Anatolia (Ankara), 1 July 1998; in FBIS document FBIS-TAC-98-182, “Security Teams Seize Smuggled Nuclear Material; 6 Captured;” “Turkey Police to Check Suspected Nuclear Material,” Reuters, 2 July 1998.

(29) “Turkey Police to Check Suspected Nuclear Material,” Reuters, 2 July 1998.

(30) Anatolia (Ankara), 1 July 1998; in FBIS document FBIS-TAC-98-182, “Security Teams Seize Smuggled Nuclear Material; 6 Captured.”

(31) TRT Television Network (Ankara), 26 May 1997; in FBIS document FTS19970526000541, 26 May 1997, “ Police Seize 850 Grams of Uranium Dioxide in Bursa.”

(32) Ibid.

(33) Ibid.

(34) Ibid.

(35) “Turk Police Arrest Three for Smuggling Heavy Metal,” Reuters, 1 April 1997.

(36) Ibid.

(37) Ibid.

(38) Ibid.

(39) Ibid.

(40) Ibid.

(41) “509 Gram Islenmemis Uranyum Ele Gecirildi,” Sabah (Istanbul), 5 March 1997, (http://www.sabah.com.tr).

(42) Ibid.

(43) Ibid.

(44) Ibid.

(45) Ibid.

(46) Ibid.

(47) Turkish News List, TRKNWS-L, Internet Newsgroup, 10 March 1996.

(48) Ibid.

(49) Ibid.

(50) Ibid.

(51) Ibid.

(52) Ibid.

(53) “20 Kg of Uranium Confiscated in Turkey,” Byulleten’ Tsentra Obshchestvennoy Informatsii Po Atomnoy Energii, No. 6, 1996, p. 79; in Info-Tass, 7 March 1996.

(54) Ibid.

(55) Ibid.

(56) Ibid.

(57) Ibid.

(58) Ibid.

(59) Josef Hufelschulte, “The Amigos of Nuclear Mafia,” Focus (Munich) (6 April 1996), pp. 39-42.

(60) Ibid.

(61) Ali M. Koknar, “The Trade In Materials for Weapons of Mass Destruction,” International Police Review (London) (March April 1999), pp. 24-25.

(62) Josef Hufelschulte, “The Amigos of Nuclear Mafia,” Focus (Munich) (6 April 1996), pp. 39-42.

(63) Ibid.

(64) Ibid.

(65) Ibid.

(66) Ibid.

(67) Josef Hufelschulte, “The Amigos of Nuclear Mafia,” Focus (Munich) (6 April 1996), pp. 39-42; see also Boris Lysenko, “New Trail of Soviet Uranium In Germany,” Izvestiya, 17 April 1996, p. 3.

(68) Ali M. Koknar, “The Trade In Materials for Weapons of Mass Destruction,” International Police Review (London) (March-April 1999), pp. 24-25.

(69) Boris Lysenko, “New Trail of Soviet Uranium In Germany,” Izvestiya, 17 April 1996, p.3.

(70) Josef Hufelschulte, “The Amigos of Nuclear Mafia,” Focus (Munich) (6 April 1996), pp. 39-42; see also Boris Lysenko, “New Trail of Soviet Uranium In Germany,” Izvestiya, 17 April 1996, p.3.

(71) Boris Lysenko, “New Trail of Soviet Uranium In Germany,” Izvestiya, 17 April 1996, p.3.

(72) Ibid.

(73) Josef Hufelschulte, “The Amigos of Nuclear Mafia,” Focus (Munich) (6 April 1996), pp. 39-42.

(74) Peter Bale, “Romania Police Seize `Red Mercury’, Arrest Five,” Reuters, 24 May 1995.

(75) Ibid.

(76) Ibid.

(77) Ibid.

(78) Ibid.

(79) Ibid.

(80) “Azeri Detained in Turkey with Uranium for Sale,” Reuters, 20 October 1994; See also Segodnya, 21 October 1994, p. 1, “V Turtsii arestovana partiya urana;” Zerkalo (Baku), 22 October 1994, “Azeri Arrested for Plutonium Smuggling; ” Doug Clarke, RFE/RL Daily Report, 20 October 1994, “Azeri With Weapons-Grade Uranium Seized in Turkey.”

(81) Doug Clarke, “Azeri With Weapons-Grade Uranium Seized in Turkey,” RFE/RL Daily Report, 20 October 1994.

(82) “Azeri Arrested for Plutonium Smuggling,” Zerkalo (Baku), 22 October 1994.

(83) Ibid.

(84) Ibid.

(85) Ibid.

(86) Ibid.

(87) “Azeri Detained in Turkey with Uranium for Sale,” Reuters, 20 October 1994.

(88) “Seven Detained in Turkey with Uranium Haul,” Reuters, 22 July 1994.

(89) Ibid.

(90) Ibid.

(91) Ibid.

(92) Ibid.

(93) Ibid.

(94) “Turks Detain Three People for Uranium Smuggling,” Reuters, 22 April 1994.

(95) Ibid.

(96) Ibid.

(97) Ibid.

(98) Ibid.

(99) Ibid.

(100) “Suspected Georgian Uranium Hawkers Held in Turkey,” Reuters, 27 November 1993; see also Anatolia (Ankara), 27 November 1993; in JPRS-TND-93-001, 6 January 1993, p. 6, “Uranium Smuggling Incidents Reported: 3 Georgians Arrested.”

(101) Ibid.

(102) Ibid.

(103) Ibid.

(104) Ibid.

(105) Reuters, 6 October 1993; in Executive News Service, 7 October 1993, “Iranians Were Buying Low-Grade Uranium Turks Say.”

(106) Ibid.

(107) Milliyet (Istanbul), 7 October 1993, p. 16; in Proliferation Issues, 17 November 1993, “Key Man’ in Smuggling Operation Identified.”

(108) Meral Tamer, Milliyet (Istanbul), 9 October 1996, p. 6; in Proliferation Issues, 17 November 1993, p. 42, “Background On Turkish Uranium Smuggler.”

(109) Ibid.

(110) Ibid.

(111) Reuters, 6 October 1993; in Executive News Service, 7 October 1993, “Iranians Were Buying Low-Grade Uranium Turks Say.”

(112) Phil Williams and Paul N. Woessner, “The Real Threat of Nuclear Smuggling,” Scientific American (January 1996), (http://www.sciam.com/0196issue/0196williams.html).

(113) Reuters, 6 October 1993; in Executive News Service, 7 October 1993, “Iranians Were Buying Low-Grade Uranium Turks Say.”

(114) Williams, Phil and Woessner, Paul, “The Real Threat of Nuclear Smuggling,” Scientific American (January 1996), pp. 40-44.

(115) Ibid.

(116) Ibid.

(117) Ibid.

(118) Ibid. 
 

Return to the WMDME home page.