08 October 2015•Update: 09 October 2015
WASHINGTON
The White House said Wednesday that the U.S. is “committed” to ensuring that terror groups do not gain access to nuclear material.
Spokesman Josh Earnest said that ensuring that the groups do not receive nuclear material is “a top priority” for President Barack Obama “because it's in the core national security interest of the United States.”
The remarks follow a report by The Associated Press that chronicled multiple attempts to smuggle the potentially catastrophic substances to terrorists, including Daesh.
Moldovan authorities working with the FBI intercepted four attempts over the past five years by criminal elements with “suspected Russian connections” trying to sell radioactive material to extremists in the Middle East, according to the report.
“Seizures of nuclear and radioactive materials in Moldova demonstrate the Moldovan government's commitment to countering these tactics,” Earnest said.
But The AP found that top leaders managed to evade arrest, and those who were taken into custody were able to avoid long prison terms, and some returned to their nuclear smuggling activities once freed.
The smugglers reportedly sought out a buyer from Daesh for "a huge cache of deadly cesium" last February.
The AP’s report said that smugglers were intent on finding an “Islamic buyer” because they were confident that they would use the material to bomb the U.S.
The deterioration in ties between the West and Moscow has further complicated efforts to intercept the activities of the nuclear black market, the agency wrote, citing Moldovan authorities.
Asked if Russia’s nuclear stockpiles are secure, Earnest said that despite heightened tensions with Russia “we have been able to effectively coordinate with them to assure, or at least take steps to prevent, the proliferation of nuclear materials that are part of Russia's stockpile”.
“This kind of coordination is critical to the national security of both U.S. citizens but also Russian citizens,” he said.
