Meanwhile the IDF spokesman spread the silk rugs on the floor and the TV crew cameraman was glad to take close up photos of the beautiful items. The spokesman told the good looking blonde TV reporter that the rugs were given as gifts to the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and to the senior Mossad agent who negotiated the deal. She said she wished she had been given such tasteful and precious gifts. This was interrupted by a senior agent from the Israel Security Agency that said that the rugs would have to be screened for toxic chemicals, biological agents and explosive in case they were booby trapped. The reporter mumbled something about a Trojan horse but then said that she had enough footage of the gifts.
David took the scarf in a plastic bag and immediately called one of his colleagues at the Israel Atomic Energy Commission and told him about the fine green powder on the scarf. Professor Eli Halevy was the chief scientist of the IAEC and told David he would meet him at his laboratory at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center in 30 minutes. When David arrived there Eli was waiting for him in the nuclear spectroscopy laboratory near the most sensitive detection system. David handed him the scarf and pointed to the region where the largest amount of green powder was visible. The professor looked at the dust with a large magnifying glass and hummed something unintelligible. He then took a small piece of two-sided adhesive tape and picked up some fine grains and placed the tape under a microscope equipped with a powerful camera, humming some more as he looked at it. David could see the image of the powder particles on the computer screen. The professor then took the tape and placed it in one of the detectors and the audible clicking indicated the presence of traces of a nuclear material. David instantly understood the significance of what he had seen and heard. He thanked Eli and said that he would get the material fully characterized. When the professor asked where exactly David said that he would send a sample to the most advanced laboratory in Germany. The professor approved the idea and agreed they had diagnostic and analytical capabilities that were beyond those he had access to.
Imam Mourtashef received the report that the jet was on its way back from Tel-Aviv to Tehran and everything went as planned. He decided to personally meet the pilot and debrief him. He arrived at Tehran airport just as the plane was landing and waited impatiently for the pilot. The pilot was not surprised to see the Imam — after all the Imam had personally given him clear instructions. The pilot said "Honorable Imam, the Israelis behaved exactly as you had predicted. They were very suspicious at first and made me taxi to a side hangar and then a few soldiers surrounded the plane and after I released the hostages they boarded it and searched it. When they saw the big trunk they became apprehensive and aggressive. When it was opened they pointed their guns at it and when the Persian silk rugs were taken out and displayed they didn't know what to do with themselves. Their officer had a sense of humor because when I requested fuel he laughed and said that this is the first time Iran needs oil from Israel."
The Imam commented "Yes, they are misguided Zionists but even I have to admit they are intelligent. Do you know if the rugs were delivered to their intended recipients?"
The pilot replied "I never got off the plane so I don't know where the rugs were taken. I must say that they were very polite, even friendly after their initial suspicion was allayed."
The Imam thanked the pilot and said "You did a good job. On the next trip you'll have many more hostages and I expect that the Zionist leadership will show up in force to welcome them. After all, this is an excellent photo-opportunity and their PM never misses a chance to appear as if he really cares for his subjects. I bid you good night and I'll make sure that you receive praise and promotion for a job well done."
Chapter 18
David wrapped the scarf in a plastic bag and made sure that it would be in his carry-on luggage when he returned to Berlin the next day. He had to solve two problems during this visit to Germany. One was mostly personal, although there were some aspects that concerned Mossad — to discover who murdered Ruby and Sam. Although they were fired from Mossad they had still remained members of a select group of excellent field operators who had done a lot for their country. If Segan was responsible then he would have to be dealt with and held accountable for his treachery. If Ross or his sponsors did it, they would have to pay him another visit and make sure that he stayed alive just long enough to regret the deed. If it was done by the Iranians then it would be considered as if they had taken revenge for the elimination of their scientists and that account would be considered as settled. Julia was the one suspect that bothered David the most. If she had murdered Sam and Ruby then either she was "turned" and was working for some foreign country, or, and David considered this option as more despicable, someone high up in Mossad had sanctioned the killings. He just had to discover the truth or the question would haunt him.
His second problem was purely scientific, or more correctly solving a forensic mystery. What did the scarf with the green specks contain? To get an answer he had to travel to Karlsruhe and hand the scarf over to his colleague at the Institute for Trans Uranium elements that was part of the European Joint Research Centers (ITU-JRC). As its website proclaimed the role of the ITU was to "provide the scientific foundation for the protection of European citizens against risks associated with the handling and storage of highly radioactive material". There were several daily flights from Berlin to Karlsruhe that took just under an hour and half. David reckoned that if he took a morning flight he could have the sample analyzed and return to Berlin in the same evening.
When he landed at Karlsruhe he was met by his friend, Dr. Kurt Myerson, who was in charge of the analytical department that specialized in nuclear forensics. On the way from the airport to the laboratory David explained that the scarf was given to him by one of the prisoners who were released from Evin Prison in Tehran. Kurt, of course, had seen the press conference and knew the story of the hostages.
The highly skilled scientists and technicians at the nuclear forensics laboratory immediately identified the green specks as a common uranium containing compound. When further analytical characterization was completed it was evident that the uranium was highly enriched meaning that it was suitable for construction of a nuclear weapon. The technicians had another surprise when they detected some minor traces of plutonium — another material that could be used in a nuclear device.
The implications of the analytical results were nothing less than colossal. The presence of nuclear materials in an unlikely site like Evin Prison indicated that the Iranians were violating the nuclear deal they had signed. Furthermore, the existence of these materials in the center of Tehran showed that the Mullah's regime had no regard for the risk to millions of their own people in the country's largest and most densely populated city. David wondered what they intended to do with a nuclear device and by putting two and two together he surmised that the only possible explanation was that they plotted to detonate it in Tel-Aviv. He thanked Kurt for his help and hurried to catch his flight back to Berlin. Although he wished that Kurt wouldn't reveal the results and their obvious implications he knew that even before he set foot on the plane the German government would hear the earth shattering news. Possibly the information would be shared with all the friendly intelligence services, especially NATO members and the Americans.