Dirty bomb component entered U.S. at Blaine - Investigators used Internet to forge IDs
Jon Gambrell, The Bellingham Herald
March 29, 2006

Undercover federal investigators needed only the Internet and desktop publishing software to fake documents allowing them to bring radioactive material into Washington state from Canada, testimony to a U.S. Senate committee confirmed Tuesday.

With the fake documents, investigators were able to make their way past U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Blaine, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

Testimony by Gregory D. Kutz of the U.S. Government Accountability Office outlined his agency’s investigation into whether individuals could transport radioactive material over the nation’s borders with Canada and Mexico.
Kutz said undercover investigators carried enough radioactive material - identified Monday as cesium-137 by government officials - to build a dirty bomb.

Investigators purchased cesium-137 from a commercial source, posing as employees of a fictional company making personal radiation detection pagers, Kutz said.

…. To prevent fake documents from being used in the future, [Customs spokeman] Milne said officials were working so officers would be able to call customs’ National Targeting Center for more information. That center combs through passenger manifests and other data looking for potential terrorist activity. [Link]

Via Wolfesblog