(S) RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FORM SLOVAK POLICE

S E C R E T BRATISLAVA 000441 SIPDIS DS/IP/EUR E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/9/2019 TAGS: ASEC KCRM KNNP PARM PINR PREL PTER LO XG XH SUBJECT: (S) RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FORM SLOVAK POLICE REGARDING SUSPECIOUS RED LIQUID REF: A. STATE 102392 ¶B. BRATISLAVA 414 CLASSIFIED BY: Richard Young, Acting Regional Security Officer, Regional Scurity Office U.S. Embassy Bratislava, Slovak Republic, Diplomatic Security Service. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d),(h) ¶1. (S/NF) The Regional Security Officer continues to work with the Slovak Police Presidium to further aid in its request for assistance. ARSO and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regional representative recently met with the local police, where we were informed that the request is related to an active police investigation. The First Police Vice President, Michal Kopcik, authorized the case agent to answer all of our questions. Kopcik asserted that the Slovak Government would not be able to provide samples to leave the country, but offered U.S. experts the chance to visit Slovakia at the case agent's discretion. ¶2. (S/NF) U.S. agents met with the Slovak case agent and discussed the specifics of the case. Since this information is related to an active police investigation, RSO will report further via law enforcement channels. ¶3. (S/NF) At the end of the month RSO and FBI are traveling to view the containers with the FBI Eurasia Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordinator. ¶4. (S/NF) With regard to ref A questions the Slovak Police provided the following answers: --The Slovak Government used a Fox Razor by VISCO, an Israeli company, to x-ray the materials. The containers were x-rayed on one side only. The Slovak police do not have any special SOP for this procedure. RSO is waiting for the x-ray photos and specifics on the radiological testing devices and procedures used by the Slovak authorities. --No containers were opened during the testing. --Pedigree and biographical information will be sent via law enforcement channels for name checks. --The police have not determined the driver's motivation to report and then flee the scene. --Slovak police believe these containers could be originals or replicas of containers used to transport nuclear materials, because the containers are much more sophisticated than those used in the past (ref November 28, 2007 suspected uranium seizure). Slovak authorities stressed that the history of the Banska Bystrica region as a location of Russian military bases, together with the region's history of various smuggling activities, adds to the credibility of the materials. -- RSO is currently working with the police to isolate radiological cases that originated in the Banska Bystrica region. EDDINS