Nuclear mattersPakistani man attempted to ship nuke materials to home country

Last Friday, a Pakistani man pleaded guilty for conspiring to ship nuclear materials to individuals with alleged ties to his country’s government.

The man, Nadeem Akhtar, admitted that he and his fellow conspirators had used his company Computer Communications USA to obtain various nuclear-related devices and equipment from 2005 to 2010.

In total, Akhtar had acquired equipment worth more than $400,000 including resins for coolant water purification, calibration and switching equipment, and radiation detection devices.

Akhtar pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain with federal prosecutors.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, Akhtar was working under the orders of the owner of a trading company in Karachi who had business ties to the Pakistani government. Akhtar is believed to have worked with individuals from Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and New York.

Akhtar is scheduled to be sentenced on 6 January and could see as much as five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.