Austrian police have arrested two British doomsday preppers who they claim were planning to build a dirty nuclear bomb.
A massive arsenal of weapons was found at the pair’s home.
They have been charged with nuclear offences following their arrest in Ruden, Carinthia State, Austria.
The preppers, who have not been named, face up to five years in prison if they are found guilty.
Police say they found materials for making bombs, including TNT, ball bearings, detonators, and black powder.
The authorities added that they found an arsenal of weapons including military-grade assault rifles, at the house lived in by the pair and other preppers.
They believed they were part of a group of people known as preppers, who prepare for the end of the world.
The two Britons, both reportedly 67, have been charged alongside a 29-year-old Austrian co-conspirator.
According to local media, they have been charged with conspiring to use a “nuclear fuel, a radioactive substance, [and] an explosive” to create bombs.
Police believe there were enough materials at the property to create nine powerful DIY bombs.
Alongside the high levels of dangerous materials, police also found 20 detonators and a mobile phone which they believe could have been used as a trigger.
Police also found a range of weaponry, including hunting rifles, shotguns, handguns, and boxes of ammunition.
Police are believed to be looking for a fourth individual who is allegedly a 68-year-old Austrian national.
The three accused men are due to stand trial at the Klagenfurt District Court on August 22.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the public prosecutor Tina Frimmel-Hesse said: “Such cases are very rare. The quantity was sufficient to produce eight pipe bombs with a devastating effect.”
They added the three accused had not revealed what they planned to do with the explosives.
According to reports, the trio were reportedly arrested after one of them called an ambulance during an emergency.
After finding the weaponry, the medics allegedly called police who arrested the occupants and sealed off the estate.
