Turkish police seize radioactive material in Ankara raid

Californium is only produced by the US and Russia.

A Turkish special forces police officer guards the entrance of the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, August 5, 2016 (photo credit: REUTERS)
A Turkish special forces police officer guards the entrance of the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, August 5, 2016
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Police arrested four men in possession of a rare nuclear substance in its capital Ankara on Monday, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV, The Daily Sabah reports.
The radioactive material in question, Californium, is worth $4 million per gram and is used mainly for nuclear warheads, nuclear energy plants and in the oil and mining industries.

Californium is only produced by the US and Russia.
The four suspects, believed to be part of a larger criminal organization, reportedly intended to sell 1.4 kg of the material on the black market for $72 million.
The seized radioactive material was taken to the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority, the Turkish pro-government Daily Sabah reports.
There was no comment from the Turkish Atomic Agency Authority or the police.