(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