Georgia detains man over attempted $700,000 uranium sale

Video from Georgia’s State Security Service shows armed officers pulling a man from a white sedan and handcuffing him on the ground. Agents then test two small containers in the trunk with a handheld radiation detector; one appeared to contain a light-colored powder. On October 7, 2026, the service said it detained a Georgian citizen accused of planning to sell uranium-238 to a foreign national for $700,000. He is accused of illegally handling nuclear material and faces up to 10 years in prison. Authorities did not say how much uranium was involved. Journalists could not immediately reach the detainee or a legal representative for comment. Uranium-238 is the most common uranium isotope and, while radioactive, is not ordinarily usable on its own to make a nuclear bomb. Nuclear material security has been a concern in Georgia since the 1991 Soviet collapse. In February, Georgia detained two people attempting to purchase $3 million worth of uranium and a cache of a radioactive isotope used in nuclear weapons testing programs.