A U.S. embassy cable reported fears of an Al Qaida attack on Yemen's
National Atomic Energy Commission, which contains radioactive material. A
memorandum to the State Department asserted that the Yemeni facility
contained no protection.
"Very little now stands between the bad guys and Yemen's nuclear
material," the January 2010 cable, released by WikiLeaks, said.
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The cable from the U.S. embassy was sent to Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton. Copies were also relayed to the CIA and FBI, Middle East Newsline reported.
The Yemeni facility was said to have removed its lone guard in 2010. The
facility contained one closed-circuit video security camera, broken in
mid-2009 and never repaired.
The National Atomic Energy Commission was said to store large quantities
of radioactive material. This included substances ordered by hospitals,
universities and the energy sector.
Officials were said to have feared that Al Qaida in the Arabian
Peninsula could steal the nuclear material from Yemen. They said AQAP could
assemble a so-called dirty bomb that could harm people and disrupt the economy. The
administration of President Barack Obama refused to comment.
"Post will continue to push senior ROYG [Republic of Yemen Government]
officials to increase security at all National Atomic Energy Commission
facilities and provide us with a detailed accounting of all radioactive
materials in the country," the cable said.
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