A Swedish man has been arrested after attempting to split atoms in his kitchen, claiming that he was only doing it as a “hobby”.
Richard Handl said 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 unauthorised possession of nuclear material.
Handl, 31, 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 realise 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.
A Swedish man has been arrested after attempting to split atoms in his kitchen, claiming that he was only doing it as a “hobby”.