Iraqi authorities have recovered the "highly dangerous" radioactive material that had been stolen from an American warehouse near Basra, Iraq, which many had feared could be used as a weapon if terrorists got their hands on it, officials revealed Sunday.
The materials had gone missing in November and the apparent robbery left officials concerned that it could be used by ISIS to make weapons like a "dirty bomb." However instead of winding up in the hands of ISIS, or any other militant group, the material turned up several months later in Zubair, around nine miles southwest of Basra, instead, according to TIME.
"A passer-by found the radioactive device dumped in Zubair and immediately informed security forces which went with a special prevention radiation team and retrieved the device," said Jabbar al-Saidi, a security official in Basra, according to NBC News. "After initial checking I can confirm the device is intact 100 percent and there is absolutely no concern of radiation."
The material in question was inside an industrial radiography device that uses the radioactive isotope Iridium-192 to beam gamma radiation which can deliver fatal doses of radiation at close range. The device, about the size of a laptop, was being used by Weatherford, a Texas-based oil firm, to test oil pipelines for structural problems.
It's unclear how the stolen material turned up in Zubair, but officials seem to believe that the perpetrator(s) had attempted to smuggle it outside of the town, but decided to dump it after their efforts failed.
"After failing to take it out of the town, the perpetrators decided to dump it," a security official speaking on the condition of anonymity said, according to Reuters.
Despite that, more than anything else, Iraqi officials say they're just thankful the radioactive material didn't fall into the wrong hands. Furthermore, they're pleased to say that the device is 100 percent intact and there is no concern of radiation.
Though the materials have been found, the investigation is far from over, with the focus shifting from "the location of the material" to "whole stole it." In the meantime, both SGS Turkey, the owner of the material, and Weatherford have denied any involvement in the material's disappearance.
