Dirty bombsU.S. helps Ukraine detect dirty bombs at Euro 2012 tournament
In advance of the Euro 2012 soccer tournament in Ukraine, security officials are stocking up on radiation detectors due to growing concerns of a dirty bomb attack during the event
In advance of the Euro 2012 soccer tournament in Ukraine, security officials are stocking upon radiation detectors due to growing concerns of a dirty bomb attack during the event.
The Mirror reports that NATO conducted a threat assessment for the event and found that the state is vulnerable to attacks from Islamist extremists.
Volodymyr Orativskyy, the deputy chief of the Ukranian Secret Service’s antiterrorism center, told the Mirror Ukraine faces security threats from “supporters of international terrorist and religious extremist organizations” within the country.
In particular, the dirty bomb threat stems from the country’s “hazardous industrial and energy facilities,” Orativskyy said.
To help secure the event, the United States has supplied Ukraine with thirteen sophisticated radiation detectors. In addition the International Atomic Energy Agency is training local firefighters, police officers, and border guards to detect fissile materials.
A spokesman for the IAEA speaking said, “There is always a risk that major public events could be targeted for criminal acts involving nuclear and other radioactive materials.”
The event begins in June and will take place in both Ukraine and Poland, which is co-hosting the tournament.
