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Nuclear scientists interrogated over possible bin Laden link

Evidence exists that bin Laden's al Qaeda network has been seeking nuclear material for years

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani authorities have interrogated two leading nuclear scientists about possible contacts with the leader of Afghanistan's Taliban militia, government officials said.

The revelation comes as reports emerge from The Times newspaper of Britain indicating that Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network have acquired nuclear materials for possible use against the West.

Pakistan sources told CNN the two men were Chaud Abdul Majeed and Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, both people of deep religious beliefs and acclaimed scientists in the region.

Mahmood was one of the founders of Pakistan's nuclear program and was detained Tuesday by intelligence agents in the eastern city of Lahore.

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Majeed, a scientist who worked for years with Mahmood at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, also was also being held, officials in the Interior Ministry said on condition of anonymity.

The sources said the two have had dealings with the Taliban and have been guiding them on science-related matters, although the exact nature of their dealings is unclear.

Both men once worked at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, but had been in Afghanistan since the Taliban came into power in 1996, the sources said. It was not clear why they were back in Pakistan.

Neither has been charged with any crime.

A senior government official told Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity that Mahmood is not suspected of being linked to terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden or his al Qaida network.

Bin Laden nuclear threat

Bin Laden, the chief terror suspect in the September 11 attacks on the United States, has acquired nuclear material illegally from Pakistan, according to a front page report from The Times newspaper that quoted unnamed "intelligence sources".

Although the sources were insistent bin Laden did not have the capacity to launch a nuclear attack, they said it appeared he had acquired a vast array of weaponry for intended use against the West.

The Times said bin Laden's possession of nuclear components motivated the regular warnings from U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair that bin Laden would attempt to perpetrate worse atrocities than the suicide attacks on New York and Washington.

The paper said: "Bin Laden has said it was his 'religious duty' to seek to acquire the chemical, biological and nuclear weapons of mass destruction."

Even without the capability of launching a nuclear attack, fears still persisted that bin Laden could orchestrate the activation of a 'dirty bomb', whereby radioactive material could be dispersed in an urban area, causing death and contamination in a highly populated area.

Pakistan weapons 'secure'

Foreign nations worry about political unrest in Pakistan because the country, like its neighbor and rival, India, is a nuclear power.

Some say uncertainty in the government could threaten the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has drawn the wrath of Islamic militants for his decision to support the United States in its fight against terrorism and its airstrikes on Afghanistan. Some have advocated the overthrow of Musharraf.

But the president insists the nation is behind him, and that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are in secure hands.