Nerve-gas chemicals 'bound for N. Korea'
Germany snags transport of 30 tons used in manufacture of deadly agent
Posted: May 18, 2003 5:54 p.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
At the request of the U.S., Germany has intercepted a shipment of chemicals which can be used to make chemical weapons, reports the German weekly Der Spiegel.
Some 30 tons of sodium cyanide were officially being shipped by a German company to a Singapore warehouse, but Washington believes the material was headed for North Korea.
Sodium cyanide, commonly used in the treatment of metals, is also a key ingredient in the manufacture of the deadly nerve gas Tabun (dimethylphosphoramido-cyanidate).
In its issue which hits newsstands tomorrow, Der Spiegel says Germany's intelligence service issued a warning last week about attempts by North Korea to get a hold of banned material under cover of businesses based in China and Singapore, according to an Agence France-Presse summary.
European news agencies say Berlin last month intercepted a shipment of German-made aluminum tubes likely destined for use in North Korea's nuclear program.