The Metropolitan Police stated: “We can confirm Border Force colleagues at Heathrow alerted officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command after a very small amount of tainted material was detected during regular screening within a box arriving in the UK.”
“I want to reassure the public that the amount of tainted material was extremely little and that experts have determined that there is no harm to the public,” Commander Richard Smith stated.
“Although our investigation is still underway, so far, it doesn’t seem to be connected to any immediate threat.
However, as the general public would anticipate, we will keep looking into all potential sources of information to make sure this is unquestionably the case.
To protect the public from any possible dangers to their safety and security that may be entering the UK, we and our allies have good capability in place to monitor our ports and borders.
No arrests have been made, according to the force, and officers are cooperating with partner agencies to conduct an investigation and make sure there is no risk to the public. The substance has been recognised as being uranium-contaminated.
The police force continued, “However, it does show the fantastic capabilities we and our partners have in place to monitor our ports and borders in order to keep the public safe from any possible threats to their safety and security that might be coming into the UK.
The Home Office declined to comment on ongoing investigations, according to a representative.
“Full support to the police and Border Force in their ongoing investigations in this severe matter — illustrates the enormously essential work they & intelligence services undertake on security & keeping the country safe,” tweeted shadow home minister Yvette Cooper.
Nuclear weapons utilise uranium as a key component, which can also be used for scientific research and the production of electricity for domestic usage.
In addition to the metal itself being poisonous if consumed or inhaled, some isotopes of that metal produce radiation that may be detrimental to people.
