Weapons-grade uranium taken from Belgrade institute

US and Russian officials have snatched 100lb of weapons-grade uranium from an aging nuclear reactor in Yugoslavia, it was reported today.

The military-style operation was described by the Washington Post as the first in a series of pre-emptive strikes against the threat of nuclear terrorism.

The uranium – enough for three nuclear bombs – was spirited out of Belgrade’s Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences yesterday with an escort of Yugoslav army helicopters and 1,200 heavily armed troops.

As US officials looked on, the uranium was put on a plane and flown to Russia to be converted into a form that cannot be used in weapons.

The mission, planned in secrecy for more than a year, was organised to eliminate what many weapons experts regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous nuclear repositories.

It was hailed by the White House and non-proliferation groups as one of the most significant actions since September 11 to combat potential nuclear terrorism.

It was also described as evidence of a new level of cooperation with Russia, the original source of the material decades ago.

Although they were aware of no specific threat, the planners said they feared the uranium might be hijacked in transit.

The removal of nearly 6,000 ingots, or “slugs,” of highly enriched uranium was carried out over 17 hours by a cast of hundreds – mostly Yugoslav scientists and government officials with technical support from the US departments of State and Energy, Russia’s Ministry of Atomic Energy, and the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

A private US group, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, provided much of the financial backing.

Police sealed off several of the city’s major roads for hours and placed marksmen on roofs to guard against a possible attack, according to State Department officials familiar with the operation.