A Turkish court remanded two suspects in custody for smuggling a radioactive element into the central Niğde province, security sources said.

Smuggling and organized crime police arrested two Syrians in the act when they attempted to sell some 14 grams (0.50 oz) of a radioactive element, thought to be californium, for $5 million.

A local court ordered the suspects to be put behind bars. The contraband radioactive element was sent to Turkey's Atomic Energy Authority for examination. Californium is a radioactive chemical element first synthesized at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of California University in 1950. It is considered to be highly hazardous and is used in nuclear reactors as well as in oil wells.