UK nuclear chemist 'killed by Mossad'

Johannesburg - The Israeli secret service, Mossad, murdered a British chemist in Johannesburg three years ago because he was supplying Arab countries with chemicals used in nuclear weapons, a senior policeman said yesterday. Police Colonel Charles Landman, the chief investigator in the case, told the Johannesburg Star that the assassination of Alan Kidger in November 1991 was a 'hit' aimed at sending a 'clear message'.

Mr Kidger's dismembered body, smeared with an oily black substance thought to be a mercury-rich compound, was found in the boot of his car.

As South African marketing manager for Thor Chemicals, Mr Kidger 'was highly trained in the use of chemicals that can be used in the production of armaments . . . and nuclear weapons,' Mr Landman said. 'We believe he was working for foreign governments . . . and was involved in supplying these chemicals to Middle Eastern countries.'

Mr Landman's contention that it was Mossad which killed Mr Kidger was dismissed by the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria as 'imaginary'. AFP