Nuclear fission as a kitchen hobby

The Guardian : Radium, americium, and uranium are not usual household items. Richard Handl of Stockholm, Sweden, who was trying to break nuclei apart in his kitchen, had all three elements in his apartment when police came to arrest him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material. He stated that he had always been interested in physics and chemistry, and he wanted to see if it was possible to do nuclear fission at home. Handl had kept a blog of his experiments and had apparently tried to set up a nuclear reactor in his home for months. When he realized that what he was doing might not be legal, he sent an inquiry to Sweden’s radiation authority, who responded by sending the police to investigate. The police have so far refused to comment on the investigation. If convicted, Handl could face fines or up to two years in prison.