Two Radiological Incidents Occur in Europe on Same Day

On April 17, border officers at the Medyka crossing in Poland stopped a Ukrainian woman whose $100 banknote measured radiation 1,905 times above the permitted limit. The same afternoon, London police closed Kensington Gardens for two days after a group posted video of two men in protective suits launching drones toward the Israeli embassy and claiming the devices carried radioactive material.

Neither incident produced injuries.

Radiation portal monitors at the Medyka site were purchased and maintained under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence program. The United States also funds the Securing the Cities initiative, which has placed 48,000 detectors in fourteen U.S. urban areas since 2006.

EU platforms such as the European Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange were built after the 1986 Chornobyl accident to track widespread atmospheric contamination. The article noted that Iran possesses unaccounted highly enriched uranium after 2025 strikes and that the group claiming responsibility for the London video has previously used civilian infrastructure for operations.

Negotiations on the EU’s 2028-2034 budget will determine whether a dedicated line for radiological detection receives funding.