STOCKHOLM
(AP) --
A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in
his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby.
Richard
Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elements
radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when
police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession
of nuclear material.
The 31-year-old Handl
said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and
kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small
meltdown on his stove.
Only later did he
realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden's Radiation
Authority, which answered by sending the police.
"I
have always been interested in physics and chemistry," Handl said,
adding he just wanted to "see if it's possible to split atoms at home."
The
police raid took place in late July, but police have refused to
comment. If convicted, Handl could face fines or up to two years in
prison.
Although he says police didn't detect
dangerous levels of radiation in his apartment, he now acknowledges the
project wasn't such a good idea.
"From now on, I will stick to the theory," he said.
NOTE: This is indeed odd and unnerving -- almost as much so as learning today that my daughter is currently embarked on a 6-day canoe trip on the Allagash in Maine, something that was forced on me when I was her age. I trust she'll do much, much better than I did (I was an absolutely miserable camper), although I have recently regained my affection for the Maine woods, lakes and rivers and would consider spending A LOT more time up there. As for Richard Handl, I give him high points for originality and nerve and am grateful that he did not blow up our friends, the Shaw family, who are currently on vacation in Sweden.
