Arrests over 'radioactive' sale

Three men have been held in Ukraine for allegedly trying to sell radioactive material that could be used to make a "dirty bomb", security officials say.

The politician and two businessmen were held on 9 April in the Ternopil region.

The SBU security service said they were trying to sell what they thought was 3.672kg (8.2lb) of plutonium-239 for $10m (£6.7m).

However, authorities now say the material was not plutonium-239 and are working to determine what it is.

The material was likely to be americium, a radioactive metal element with a variety of industrial uses, the Associated Press news agency said, citing unidentified security experts.

The SBU said that the material "could have been used for terrorist purposes for the creation of a dirty bomb".

A dirty bomb uses conventional explosives to disperse radioactive material, causing a health hazard.

The container had been made at a Russian plant during the Soviet era and could have entered Ukraine from a neighbouring state, the SBU said, without giving further details.

The men have been charged with illegally handling radioactive material, AFP news agency said.

In recent years several countries have expressed concern that corruption and poor safety standards could put unsecured radioactive material from the former Soviet Union in the hands of criminals or armed groups.