Plutonium Traced to Russian Plant, Germans Say
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BERLIN — Weapons-grade plutonium seized in Germany this spring--the first known case of fissionable material falling into unauthorized hands--originated at a plant in Russia, German media reported Sunday.
One report said German intelligence sources believe high-ranking Russian officials were involved in the smuggling.
The one-fifth of an ounce of plutonium, discovered by police May 10 in a search for counterfeit money in the western state of Baden-Wurttemberg, is not enough to build a bomb but sufficient to poison a water supply.
But its existence, publicized by FBI Director Louis J. Freeh this month during a visit to Moscow, has caused alarm among authorities worried that such materials could fall into the hands of terrorists or outlaw states.
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