Georgia arrests three for trying to illegally buy 2kg of uranium

Three Chinese nationals face prison time for attempting to purchase $400,000 of nuclear material.

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Lasha Maghradze, deputy head of the nation's State Security Service (SSG), told a news briefing the group planned to pay $400,000 (£300,570) for the nuclear material in the capital, Tblisi, before transporting it to China via Russia.

The alleged plot was unearthed by intelligence agents while one member of the group was attempting to buy the radioactive substance on the black market, he said.

The three pleaded not guilty at a court in Tblisi and have been placed in custody to prevent them fleeing the country, according to public broadcaster Georgia Today.

They face up to five years in prison under a provision of Georgia's criminal code banning the purchasing of nuclear material.