The Israeli Defense Ministry is concerned that the arrest of an American charged with illegal arms trading in Spain two weeks ago could reveal details of how Israel acquired materials for its nuclear weapons, reported Haaretz newspaper on Tuesday.
Neither the US nor Spain have yet asked Israel for any information regarding the arrest of Richard Kelly Smith, the 71-year-old fugitive who jumped bail rather than face charges in the US in 1985 of illegally selling Israel and Taiwan Krypton triggers used in the manufacture of nuclear bombs, an Israeli Defense Ministry source told the paper.
“Still, the ministry is seriously concerned that Smith's extradition to the US to stand trial could lead to exposure of some of the inner workings of Israeli purchasing for its nuclear initiatives, and its special relations with the US.”
Smith was arrested two weeks ago by Spanish police responding to a long-standing extradition request by the US.
News of his arrest was released this weekend. The extradition request, said a spokesman for the Spanish Justice Ministry, was sent in 1992.
Smith was the president of a West Coast company called Milco, which manufactured microchips, and worked for NASA, the US space administration.
In May 1985, he was arrested on suspicion of illegally selling the Israeli Defense Ministry 850 electronic Krypton triggers, used for triggering the detonation of nuclear bombs.
After interrogation by the police in Los Angeles, he posted $100,000 bond for his trial on charges of counterfeiting and illegal export of material used for nuclear weapons development.
But he and his wife disappeared from Los Angeles, leaving behind a $500,000 home and the forfeited bond money. Over the years there have been rumors that he was seen in Israel and Britain.
The FBI declared him a wanted fugitive at the time and reports then suggested he might have left the US on board his yacht.
During the investigation into his activities, US authorities learned he also sold the triggers to Taiwan. Like Israel, Taiwan is not a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, making it illegal for a US citizen to sell Israel or Taiwan equipment used for manufacturing nuclear bombs, according to the paper.
The probe of Smith led to Arnon Milchin, now a top Hollywood producer, who owned a company called Hailey that served as the link between Milco and the Israeli Defense Ministry.
The investigation revealed that between 1973 and 1985 when he was arrested, some 80 percent of Milco's sales were to Israel, which raised suspicions that Milco itself was an Israeli front for illegal purchases by the Israeli Defense Ministry in the US, the paper added – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
