From the Telegraph, London (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...13.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/08/13/ixnewstop.html):
Briton seized in US for selling Russian missile
By David Rennie in Washington
(Filed: 13/08/2003)
A Briton was arrested yesterday after he attempted to sell a surface-to-air missile to FBI agents he thought were terrorists.
The unnamed man, a middle-aged naturalised British citizen of Indian descent, was caught in a sting operation after a worldwide investigation involving British, Russian and American authorities.
A sealed indictment accused him of trying to smuggle a shoulder-launched, Russian-made missile into the United States by ship. Some reports suggested the weapon was an Igla missile, which has a range of 2.5 miles.
Officials distanced themselves from reports that the arrested man expressed the hope that his missile would be used to shoot down Air Force One, the Boeing 747 used by President George W Bush.
Although the man is likely to face terrorist related charges, initial indications were that he was a known arms smuggler not motivated by terrorist ideology. He is thought to have arrived in the US to collect payment from his clients.
He is reported to have bought the missile from corrupt officials working at its Russian manufacturers for £53,000 and to have been offered up to 50 more.
He had been tailed from Heathrow to New York in the past few days.
The sting was carried out in Newark, just across the Hudson from New York. Two other men were arrested in New York as part of the same investigation. One was an American citizen; the other was from a third nation.
The prospect of terrorists using shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles against an airliner has haunted governments and airlines worldwide.
Last November two Russian Sam-7 missiles narrowly missed a chartered Israeli airliner taking off from Mombasa in Kenya.
There were unconfirmed reports that the airliner was fitted with missile avoidance systems. The Israeli national airline, El-Al, is believed to be the only commercial airline to fit the advanced systems to its planes.
Briton seized in US for selling Russian missile
By David Rennie in Washington
(Filed: 13/08/2003)
A Briton was arrested yesterday after he attempted to sell a surface-to-air missile to FBI agents he thought were terrorists.
The unnamed man, a middle-aged naturalised British citizen of Indian descent, was caught in a sting operation after a worldwide investigation involving British, Russian and American authorities.
A sealed indictment accused him of trying to smuggle a shoulder-launched, Russian-made missile into the United States by ship. Some reports suggested the weapon was an Igla missile, which has a range of 2.5 miles.
Officials distanced themselves from reports that the arrested man expressed the hope that his missile would be used to shoot down Air Force One, the Boeing 747 used by President George W Bush.
Although the man is likely to face terrorist related charges, initial indications were that he was a known arms smuggler not motivated by terrorist ideology. He is thought to have arrived in the US to collect payment from his clients.
He is reported to have bought the missile from corrupt officials working at its Russian manufacturers for £53,000 and to have been offered up to 50 more.
He had been tailed from Heathrow to New York in the past few days.
The sting was carried out in Newark, just across the Hudson from New York. Two other men were arrested in New York as part of the same investigation. One was an American citizen; the other was from a third nation.
The prospect of terrorists using shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles against an airliner has haunted governments and airlines worldwide.
Last November two Russian Sam-7 missiles narrowly missed a chartered Israeli airliner taking off from Mombasa in Kenya.
There were unconfirmed reports that the airliner was fitted with missile avoidance systems. The Israeli national airline, El-Al, is believed to be the only commercial airline to fit the advanced systems to its planes.
