Radioactive material was found in an Iranian national’s luggage at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow on Friday, Russia’s Federal Customs Service announced in a statement. The airport’s radiation alert system detected radiation levels 20 times higher than normal and set off an alarm. The alert led customs officials to 18 pieces of radioactive sodium-22 packed in steel cases inside the Iranian’s luggage.
Sodium-22 is an isotope that can be used in medical equipment and research. The material is not used in weapons, according to the Russian atomic agency Rosatom.
The Iranian national, who has not been identified, was headed to Tehran with the material. Although the man was not detained, authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. It is unclear if the Iranian is still in Russia.
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