African man arrested in Homeland Security 'Iran uranium' ruse
Sierra Leone national held after US security agents use alibaba.com to post bogus plea
A buyer who said he was representing Iranian interests was looking for yellowcake uranium, also known as Uranium 308, which is made from raw uranium and can be further processed and used in the manufacture of nuclear fuel and weapons.
On Wednesday, the authorities say, the man who answered the request and agreed to sell 1,000 tons of the material arrived at Kennedy International Airport, bringing what he said were samples hidden in the soles of shoes tucked away in his luggage.
But the sale was a setup, and the buyer was actually an undercover agent for the Department of Homeland Security.
The man, Patrick Campbell, 33, from Sierra Leone, was arrested on charges of knowingly brokering goods destined for Iran, according to a criminal complaint filed in a US District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Campbell was being held in New York City on Friday, pending a hearing.
A law enforcement official said the material in Campbell's shoes was not enriched uranium.
But it was unclear whether more tests had been done to determine exactly what Campbell had brought into the United States. The undercover Homeland Security agent was sceptical of Campbell's ability to deliver, according to court documents.