Re:SoftBank CEO says Khashoggi killing may have impact on Sa...
by brohee on Monday November 05, 2018 @12:38PM
(#18384195)
What do you mean by nuclear? If you think polonium, it's lethality is not linked to it's radioactivity, it's purely chemical.
Re:SoftBank CEO says Khashoggi killing may have impact on Sa...
by sandworm101 on Monday November 05, 2018 @01:11PM
(#18384491)
It kills as a chemical, but is detectable as a radioactive substance. Using it means you have access to a nuclear reactor and extensive infrastructure. It is a weapon that could only have come from a state actor, one with an extensive nuclear program and a willingness to weaponize material from that program. That is a very short list. Had they wanted to remain anonymous they could have used any of a dozen different methods that could not be so easily traced. They weren't trying for a knife in the dark.
Re:SoftBank CEO says Khashoggi killing may have impact on Sa...
by brohee on Monday November 05, 2018 @02:47PM
(#18385311)
Polonium can be made in a cyclotron, and AFAIK they are quite common in hospitals. I'm afraid this is very much in reach of a non state actor...
Re:SoftBank CEO says Khashoggi killing may have impact on Sa...
by sandworm101 on Monday November 05, 2018 @03:57PM
(#18385891)
Atoms of polonium can indeed be manufactured in a cyclotron, but unless your cyclotron is the size of a building it would take years to gather enough to conduct such a poisoning. Usable quantities are only ever made inside nuclear reactors.
Whether any killings have happened on US soil is an open question. But, without mentioning the T word, I think not much would happen. Both chemical and a nuclear weapon were deployed in Britain ... and Russian operatives still move in and out of the UK freely. Russian money still invests in London real estate. I don't see why anything different would happen in the US.