June 15, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 14, 1424

BANGKOK, June 14: A Thai man arrested for illegal possession of radioactive material denied on Saturday he was involved in any plot to make a ‘dirty bomb,’ as authorities searched his home for more evidence, police said.

Narong Paenanam, 44, told interrogators he had nothing to do with terrorism or international terrorist groups but was merely selling caesium-137, a highly radioactive substance which he said he obtained from a late friend.

“The suspect admitted he possessed the substance but said he did not attempt to make a bomb to be used in terrorist attacks and he was not involved with any terrorist groups,” Crime Suppression Division investigator Major Pongsawai Chamlamjiak said.

Following a tip-off by US, Narong was arrested on Friday in a Bangkok sting operation in possession of 30 kilograms of caesium-137, which is a byproduct of nuclear power plants and which has industrial and medical uses.

He offered to sell the chemical element to undercover Thai police for 10 million baht (240,000 US dollars), police and US embassy officials said.—AFP