Born: 1935
Birthplace: Bhopal, India

Gender: Male
Religion: Muslim
Race or Ethnicity: Asian/Indian
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Physicist, Spy

Nationality: Pakistan
Executive summary: Father of Pakistani nuclear bomb

A Pakistani national hero, though born in India and emigrated to Pakistan in 1952. Learned all about atomics as a staff member at the Physical Dynamics Research Laboratory in Amsterdam, "intending" to become a Dutch citizen and marrying a Dutch national, in order to gain proper security clearance. Eventually the Dutch discovered he had passed nuclear secrets to Pakistan, and in 1983 Khan was sentenced in absentia to four years prison for spying. Khan had returned to Pakistan in 1976, where he developed an atomic weapon by 1987. In 1998, both India and Pakistan detonated atomic weapons, coming to the brink of war. Pakistani investigations revealed in 2004 that Khan had offered to sell nuclear secrets to a number of countries, including Iran, Iraq, Libya -- goodness knows who all else. His motive was personal profit, with bank accounts containing $2 billion according to reports. Pardoned for his crimes by President Musharraf, after recommendation by his cabinet.

Wife: (a Dutch national, though South African born, now having regrets about Khan)
Daughter: (two daughters, both mothers)

    University: University of Karachi
    University: PhD, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium (1972)

    Espionage convicted in absentia 1983, later overturned
    Pardoned 5-Feb-2004
    House Arrest
    Pashtun Ancestry
    Risk Factors: Prostate Cancer

Appears in articles:
The Economist, 7-Feb-2004, DETAILS: Pakistan's nuclear secrets -- Sold -- The net closes on Abdul Qadeer Khan, top nuclear proliferator (p.38, 1.5 pages)
US News and World Report, 16-Feb-2004, DETAILS: Selling the Bomb -- Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan is the Johnny Appleseed of nuclear weapons technology (p.28, one page), BYLINE: Thomas Omestad with Aamir Latif in Karachi

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