Allegations of Uranium, Plutonium in Myanmar Puzzle Experts

Takeshi Ebisawa poses with a rocket launcher during a meeting with an informant and two undercover Danish police officers at a warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark, Feb. 3, 2021, in a photograph from a criminal complaint. (Southern District of New York/Handout via REUTERS). A photo reportedly sent by Takeshi Ebisawa showing material with a Geiger counter.

Allegations of a Myanmar-Yakuza arms deal involving nuclear materials have raised alarms in Myanmar’s rebel-held Shan state and confounded scientists, who have long been aware of raw uranium in the region but say they have no idea how it could have been processed to weapons-grade material in the remote area.