It doesn't take a LOT of HE (high explosive) to detonate a nucleaar bomb. All you do is drive 2 below-critical mass parts together, HARD. A couple pounds of C-4 would be plenty shaped properly. To make a thermo-nuke (H-bomb) is harder, but that is only because of the need to inject (with very perfect timing) Tritium (H3) into the middle of the mess. A "suitcase" is currently VERY possible. :skull:
Whether 70 or so is possible, is a far different debatable point. :argue:
A "dirty" bomb does not require "tons" of radioactive material. A few POUNDS of things like Strontium 90, salvaged/scavenged from x-ray equip and other sources (or enriched uranium powder) would be enough to poison Manhattan, for a few centuries. You just strap it to some Semtex (or other HE) and set it off. Terrorists from the middle east have PLENTY of Semtex laying arround. :skull:
Well back in the 90's, Al Queda was trying to get (and got) information on how to build a nuke from the same source the Pakistanis did, the Iranians did, the Iraqis did, the Lybians did, and god knows how many others. A scientist, A. Q. Kahn, head of the largest nuke-proliferation ring in the world. Just caught a Discovery Chanell story on him this afternoon. :cry:
Is somebody watching this guy? He know too much :boxed: