Japanese mafia boss conspired to traffic nuclear materials, says US - BBC News

Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, allegedly tried to traffic material he believed would go to Iran to build a nuclear bomb.

15 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Southern District of New YorkImage caption, US authorities claim that Takeshi Ebisawa is a senior figure in a sprawling Japanese organised crime group.By Bernd Debusmann JrBBC News, WashingtonUS prosecutors have charged an alleged member of the Japanese mafia with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials.

Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, tried to sell uranium and plutonium that he believed would be transferred to Iran to build a nuclear bomb, it is alleged.

Mr Ebisawa and a Thai co-defendant were previously hit with weapons and drug charges in April 2022.

He faces life imprisonment if convicted of the latest charges.

US authorities say Mr Ebisawa - who is being held in a Brooklyn jail - is a senior figure in the Japanese organised crime syndicate, known as the Yakuza, with operations in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and the US.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68365597

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