June 14, 2002 

The following article is excerpted from The “ Toronto Star” of 14 June 2002

NIAGARA FALLS  -- Niagara border inspectors will soon be equipped with radiation detectors as part of a Canada-wide shield against a possible "dirty bomb" or "nuke in a box" terrorist attacks.

The inspectors at bridges in Fort Erie, Niagara Falls and Queenston will be among 3,600 customs officers across the country to be outfitted with the sophisticated pager-sized
Geiger counters, which set off an alarm when exposed to harmful levels of radiation. The portable devices are part of a $110 million high-tech package that Revenue Minister Elinor Caplan has approved to protect Canadians against the possibility of a "dirty bomb" attack involving radioactive materials, such as plutonium or uranium 235. A dirty bomb is
made by wrapping radioactive material around an explosive, which is then detonated to disperse radiation.

The danger of such an attack was highlighted last month with the arrest of former Chicago gang leader Jose Padilla, 31, when he returned to the United States from Pakistan. American authorities claim Padilla, who is also known as Abdullah al
Muhajir, had forged links with the Al Qaeda terrorist network and was part of a plot to plant a "dirty bomb" in a U.S. city. Derik Hodgson, press secretary to Caplan, said the minister's decision to approve the package, which will also include mobile X-ray machines to check trucks and cargo containers for radioactive material, have been in the works for at least four months.