Rogue Weapons Dealer Had Advanced Nuclear Weapon Design

New York Times:

American and international investigators say that they have found the electronic blueprints for an advanced nuclear weapon on computers that belonged to the nuclear smuggling network run by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the rogue Pakistani nuclear scientist, but that they have not been able to determine whether they were sold to Iran or the smuggling ring's other customers.

The plans appear to closely resemble a nuclear weapon that was built by Pakistan and first tested exactly a decade ago. But when confronted with the design by officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency last year, Pakistani officials insisted that Dr. Khan, who has been lobbying in recent months to be released from the loose house arrest that he has been under since 2004, did not have access to Pakistan's weapons designs.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

The first terrorist nuke will have AQ Khan's signature on it.

For those of you who don't know, Mr. Khan is the father of Pakistan's nuclear program. He was convicted BY PAKISTAN of selling secrets to anyone with a briefcase of cash. He was then PARDONED by Bush bud General Musharraf. Washington was silent.

We all know the Guillotine was named after the frenchman who invented it. I propose calling homemade nukes, "Khans."

[JiminNC]

Oh My God!! We must attack now, attack everyone that does not speak English, we must not delay or discuss, Iran could have this missile now aimed at rural America and filled with fart gas. Oh my God...

Why do you suppose they have released this information they have had for over a year?

[Driver125]

Why, errr, what plans? No, No. no......those are the plans for our brand-new nuclear can opener. You see, in some of the remote regions of Pakistan electric power can be unreliable, so Dr. Khan has developed our own Pakistani-patented nuclear can opener. What? who.......where? Well, yes, some of the parts do originate from North Korea....Say! Have you heard the one about how many Hindus it takes to screw in a lightbulb?

[GrouchoMarxist]

Upon hearing this news, W and Shotgun immediately started working on plans to invade Finland.

[OfficialA]

Good thing W's got those terrrisssts on the run in Iraq.

[rkrenke]

I wonder what Sibel Edmonds thinks of this story.

Sounds like the corporate-owned media is repeating the same mantra they used for going to war with Iraq. . .continuous warfare is good for Halliburton's bottom line.

[macbabe]

"fear" factor once again, they will be pushing it to keep a GOP in the WH..

Not This Time!!

[Shaddup]

Unfortunately, American media doesn't seem to know who Edmonds is.

[HatingTheGame]

Funny, just noticed a typo written on the missiles. The bottom leg of the last letter of the word is missing.

It should read

HATE - 1

Wonder who I should write to about this and let them know. I figure its my patriotic duty.

[Erdgeist]

I suspect after the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, every country in the Middle-east started a nuclear arms program. They would be stupid not to start one after reading about Bush's kick ass speech. The Saudis, for example, know that the U.S. is a predator who preys on the weaker nations who are nukeless. North Korea has taught the world: get nukes first then tell the U.S. to shove it. I am looking forward to Venezuela starting its own nuclear weapons program along with Brazil and the rest. Right-wingers, if you are reading my post, next time don't vote for a guy who after he gets drunk, blacks out. Are you people crazy?

[Durango]

I think that is the single greatest crime of GW Bush. (and that is saying a lot!)

He has shown the world that if any nation wants to protect it's sovereignty it needs to acquire nuclear weapons.

He has set the argument for nuclear non-proliferation back. Probably permanently.

His ambition to be a War President, since the only Great Presidents are War Presidents, means that the in future will every country on earth will feel the need for nuclear armament.

And sooner or later someone will use them. AGAIN.

[janmarie]

we (usa) is the rouguest of the rogue.

[Boobaloo]

oh yes.

[bobsmith]

One has to question whether any of this is even true. Nothing... absolutely nothing can be accepted at face value where the government and media is involved.

[ErnestineBass]

Here's a novel idea.

Instead of wasting time spying on Americans, why doesn't our CIA , FBI and NSA hunt down these illegal international arms dealers and kill them?

[Shaddup]

It's too hard to tap their phones.

[bonnieschultz]

Come on, Hadley's the same guy who touted Saddam Hussein's nuclear program. I don't trust this for a minute. NY Times should do more research before giving front page acreage to Bush henchmen.

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

Ah. Thanks for the info. Now I can file this under "cat litter."

[TheIndependenceParty]

For those of us who lived through the post-war era in the 1950's, and the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for providing details on the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union, the possibility that there may be an American CIA connection to the AQ Khan network is disturbing. Undisclosed foreign connections to 9/11 are even more disturbing. What is most disturbing, is that people in our government, some at the highest levels, have already been informed in secret hearings, but have taken no public action.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/31/nuclear.internationalcrime?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

Congress must investigate this possibility, and a good place to start is to open hearings publicly into the firing of FBI translator turned whistleblower, Sibel Edmonds. The government, from the FBI to the White House, to Congressmen on both sides of the aisle, seem to fear her more than any other person, given the extent to which they have attempt to gag her from speaking about what she found out about foreign agents in our government.

Now would be a good time, Messrs. Waxman, Grassley, and Leahy.

[slg]

Someone should add a bar on the last letter of that missile and alter the 1. " Hate ! " So long as we harbor it in our hearts it will thrive in our world.

[castlerider]

It worries me that this has been an intentional leak of this information to manipulate some unforeseen event that somehow will invlove these weapons, or something like it., in the near future... I hope not, but there sure is cause for concern.
Bush has painted himself in a corner much earlier then he had hoped to if it was to happen, up to this time, and will be largely taken to task if he attacks Iran.. His prospects for it are becoming more slim. But now there's no telling what sneaky thing he and his henchmen are trying to conjure up.
Vince Bugliosi mentions in his book something that is on the record, but has not really been talked and looked over very extensively... In a meeting with Tony Blair in 2002, Bush was angered in the way things were developing, and talked repeatedly about how America could actually provoke Saddam so we could go to war. We ended up invading anyway, but that doesn't help much in worrying that things won't take a dramatic and awful turn before this election...