ISLAMABAD: The foreign office said on Wednesday the United Kingdom had not officially shared any information with it after media reports emerged the British police had seized a package containing uranium which originated in Pakistan before launching an investigation.
The information first appeared in a UK-based tabloid, The Sun, which said the package had been taken into possession at London’s Heathrow Airport where it was found by officials during a routine search. The publication also maintained it started its journey from Pakistan and reached London on a flight from Oman on December 29.
“We have seen the media reports,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told Arab News. “No information to this effect has been shared with us officially. We are confident that the reports are not factual.”
According to the BBC, the uranium was found in a shipment of scrap metal and investigators were trying to determine if it was a case of “poor handling” in Pakistan.
A top police official, Richard Smith, issued a media statement, reassuring “the public that the amount of contaminated material was extremely small” which had been “assessed by experts as posing no threat to the public.”
“Although our investigation remains ongoing, from our inquiries so far, it does not appear to be linked to any direct threat,” he added.
With additional input from AFP
