Date of arrest: December 14, 1994 Amount of material: 2.7 kilograms of uranium 235 (87.7% enrichment) Nearly three kilograms of material identical to the sample Gustav Illich handed over in Landshut, Germany was found in the back seat of a car in the parking lot of a Prague restaurant. A Russian trader named Alexander Scherbinin; Dr. Vagner, a Prague physicist; and a Belarussian named Kunicky went to the restaurant to give a sample to potential buyer from Austria. The buyer was probably an undercover cop. After he left, the three were arrested. Detective Jan Rathausky was assigned to investigate the case. In the course of his investigation, Rathausky learns that Scherbinin's source for the material was Eduard Baranov from Obninsk, Russia. Rathausky traveled to Moscow to interview Baranov in the former KGB headquarters, now the headquarters of the Russian Security Service (FSB). According to Rathausky, Baranov admitted that he kept the uranium for six months before handing it over to Scherbinin for transport. The detective is surprised by the unhelpful attitude of the FSB and the fact that they let Baranov return home after such an admission. Prior to Rathausky's trip, the FSB had asked the German Ministry of Justice to interrogate the suspects in the Munich case about their contacts with several Russians, including an Eduard Baranov from Obninsk. When presented with a copy of the FSB request by FRONTLINE, Rathausky confirmed that the photo of Baranov in the FSB letter was the same man with whom he had met in Moscow. The fact that the FSB suspects the same man to have played a role in all of the major incidents of weapons-grade nuclear materials seizures in Europe raises many new questions. Up until now, the cases of contraband have been explained away by Russia officials as isolated attempts by amateurs. The connection between the cases suggests that the smuggling attempts may be more organized than the Russians have let on. [SEE RATHAUSKY INTERVIEW] Maps  ·  Timeline  ·  Interviews  ·  FAQS  ·  Links Readings  ·  Reactions  ·  Tapes and Transcripts Explore FRONTLINE web site copyright 1995-2008 WGBH educational foundation