The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday rejected UK media reports that a uranium package seized at London’s Heathrow Airport originated from Pakistan, saying the reports were “not factual”.
Reports emerged in British media that a package containing uranium originating from Pakistan arrived at Heathrow Airport last month. Yesterday, British police revealed that a “very small quantity” of uranium was detected in a package that arrived at Heathrow Airport last month. They added it did not appear to be linked to any direct threat or any public health threat.
“No information to this effect has been shared with us officially. We are confident that the reports are not factual,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra said when asked to comment on the reports in British media that the seized material came from Pakistan.
Several UK officials emphasized the quantity of radioactive material was “extremely small” and posed “no threat to the public” shortly after the story was first reported by tabloid The Sun, despite initial media reports mentioning concerns of a “deadly shipment” that might have been used to make a “dirty bomb.”
The amount of radioactive material, caught during routine scanning on December 29, was extremely small and had been assessed by experts as posing no risk, Richard Smith, head of London police’s Counter Terrorism Command said.
In response to media queries on the matter, FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, “We have seen the media reports. We are confident that the reports are not factual.”
