Three Chinese citizens were arrested in Tbilisi for attempting to illegally purchase two kilograms of uranium, with the aim of transporting it to China.

The internal security service of Georgia announced the arrest of three Chinese citizens in the capital Tbilisi, accused of attempting to illegally purchase two kilograms of uranium for the sum of 400,000 dollars, with the intention of transporting it to China via Russia. The Vice President of the State Security Service confirmed that the uranium was considered 'nuclear material', but did not provide details on why the three wanted to acquire it.

They face prison sentences of up to 10 years. The issue of nuclear material security from the Soviet era has been a major concern for Georgia since 1991, and incidents related to the illicit trade of such materials have been frequent. For example, in July, a Georgian citizen and a Turkish one were arrested for the illegal acquisition and possession of radioactive substances.