OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The black-market network of Pakistan's top atomic scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, stretched across several continents, had active training programs and received $100 million from Libya for equipment and technology to make nuclear weapons, senior U.S. officials said Monday.
Operatives in at least a dozen countries manufactured, sold or transported nuclear components to Libya, Iran, North Korea and perhaps other nations as part of Khan's enterprise in recent years, the officials said.
"Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East -- it really did span the entire globe," said one, who requested anonymity. "We were surprised by the quantity and how advanced it was."
The disclosures marked the most comprehensive statements by senior Bush administration officials about the network run by Khan, the founder of Pakistan's nuclear program. He is believed to have personally made millions of dollars from illicit sales of nuclear technology and components to rogue nations.
The officials spoke during a daylong media tour of the U.S. Energy Department's top-secret Y-12 National Security Complex, which put on display 55,000 pounds of nuclear components surrendered by Libya in recent months, including centrifuges -- used to enrich uranium -- and other equipment allegedly supplied by Khan's network.
The officials, including Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, said Libya's decision to voluntarily dismantle its program marked a milestone in the effort by the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency to curb the proliferation of unconventional weapons.
"The success of our mission in Libya underscores the success of our administrator's broader nonproliferation efforts around the world," Abraham said.
But officials also acknowledged that gaining unfettered access to Libya's nuclear program showed how damaging -- and lucrative -- the network's activities had been.
If Libya had received a large shipment of centrifuges and other nuclear components from Khan's network last year, it would have gained everything it needed to soon begin building bombs, Abraham and the other officials said.
In return, Libya paid handsomely for the technology and equipment. "The estimate is about $100 million -- which, for a very small number of individuals, made it a very lucrative trade," said a second senior administration official. That figure was confirmed by deputy national security advisor James Wilkinson.
