A Swedish guy's gotten himself in trouble after trying to split atoms. Those atomic experiments took place in his kitchen -- a minor meltdown on a stove dubbed just a 'hobby' by Richard Handl. It seems Handl's been housing radioactive elements of radium, americium and uranium in his apartment -- in the south of Sweden.
Cops showed up to arrest the Swedish man for some unauthorized possession of nuclear material. It's not really the 'time' in the world to be causing authorities to suspect your creating something that could wreck the world or its inhabitants.
Just 31 years old, the guy had apparently been trying, he says for months, to set up a nuclear reactor at his home locale. He maintained a blog on those atomic experiments -- where Handl describes how to create a meltdown on a small scale -- on his stove. He says it was only after those experiments that it crossed his mind the activities might be a bit illegal. Robert Handl decided to send a question to Sweden's Radiation Authority -- which did respond, in the form of arriving policemen.
Says the Swede: "I have always been interested in physics and chemistry." According to him, he's just been interested in finding out "if it's possible to split atoms at home." It seems Swedish law enforcement or the cops aren't quite as passe about splitting atoms. Their visit to the man's apartment took place in the form of a raid. The Swede admits his atomic project wasn't such a good idea: "From now on, I will stick to the [atomic] theory."
Good for him, there's not dangerous levels of radiation in his apartment. Not so good for him: He contacted a government agency about those atomic experiments -- and is now looking at up to two years in prison.