Iraq is scrambling to find “highly dangerous” radioactive material stolen late last year, Reuters is reporting, based on an environmental ministry document and confirmed by seven security, environmental and provincial officials.

The officials fear the material could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State, though there is no indication yet the material has fallen into ISIS hands.

According to Reuters, “the material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing in November from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford.” Weatherford did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

A security official not authorized to speak on the record told Reuters the initial investigation indicates the perpetrators had specific knowledge of the material and the facility: “No broken locks, no smashed doors and no evidence of forced entry.”

What Specifically Was Taken … What Could Be Done With It

The device contained up to 10 grams of IR-192 “capsules,” a radioactive isotope of iridium. The International Atomic Energy Agency deems it a Category 2 radioactive source, meaning the capsules could cause permanent injury within minutes or hours to a person exposed in close proximity, and at longer exposures could be fatal. The worry is the IR-192 can be used to make a dirty bomb. A dirty bomb or “radiological dispersal device” (RDD) combines dangerous radioactive material with conventional explosives to contaminate a target area with radiation.

A spokesman for Basra operation command assures Reuters that army, police and intelligence forces are working “day and night” to find and secure the missing material.

A Second Possible Nuclear-Terrorism Incident

Meanwhile, over 3300 miles away in Belgium, a second story broke Wednesday involving terrorists with suspected nuclear-related ambitions.

Belgian police investigating the Paris terrorist attacks uncovered a suspicious video while conducting a raid. The 10 hours of footage showed the exterior of a house; a house belonging a man who prosecutors say works in Belgium’s “nuclear world.” The Belgian newspaper De Standaard reports the man was a top official at the Belgian Nuclear Research Center.

Thierry Werts, a spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office, said, “There is no element that says that this was to perpetrate an attack.”

However, a person close to the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “the footage indicated that a terrorist network involved in the coordinated attacks on Nov. 13 that left 130 dead may also have intended to obtain radioactive material for terrorist purposes.” Belgian news media report that the surveillance video was discovered at the home of Mohamed Bakkali, who was arrested after the Paris terrorist attacks. It is suspected that the video was part of an operation to kidnap the nuclear worker and steal the radioactive material for a dirty bomb.

Says The Wall Street Journal, “Authorities around the globe have long feared that terrorists could gain access to nuclear material or launch an attack on a nuclear plant.” These two stories demonstrate such a fear is not irrational.

H/t Rachel Alexander