Germany, Turkey raid on ‘nuke smugglers’

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Simultaneous operations were launched in Germany and Turkey against a gang of smugglers who allegedly transferred nuclear equipment they obtained from India and Germany to a nuclear facility in Iran’s Arak city, daily Habertürk reported yesterday.

During the seven simultaneous operations in Istanbul, a Turkish citizen of Iranian origin was detained, while all the documents of the relevant companies were seized. In another operation that was conducted in Atatürk Airport, Houssein T., an Iranian who is a key figure in deliveries, was also detained. During the operations in Germany, meanwhile, five Iranian nationals were detained.

Iranian couple wanted

Units from Customs Enforcement Directorate reportedly raided the house of an Iranian couple, who have a key role in the gang, but were unable to locate them. Multilateral operations are reportedly ongoing for the arrest of the couple.

Also, the data and documents obtained from the raids are currently under examinations and new operations might be launched if necessary, the report said. Units from Customs raided seven business places in Istanbul’s Bakırköy, Fatih, Üsküdar, Ümraniye and Sancaktepe districts in simultaneous operations.