Counselair
"He said member..."
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2001
- Posts
- 210
Briton Accused of Trying to Smuggle Missile Into US
Updated 5:23 PM ET August 12, 2003
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. authorities arrested a British national on Tuesday and accused him of trying to smuggle a surface-to-air missile into the United States with plans to shoot down a commercial airliner, officials said.
The man was arrested on Tuesday morning in Newark, New Jersey, as part of an international sting pulled off by the FBI, British and Russian authorities, officials in Washington said.
ABC News, which first reported the story, said other arrests were under way.
The unidentified person arrested allegedly sought to smuggle a Russian-made surface-to-air missile into the country and believed he was selling missiles to would-be terrorists, sources told ABC.
The British Broadcasting Corporation reported the suspect was a British arms dealer who successfully imported a Russian Igla missile into the United States and believed he was selling it to a Muslim extremist.
But, the BBC reported, the buyer was an undercover FBI agent and the arms dealer's voice is heard on tape saying he wanted the missile to be used to shoot down a large passenger plane.
Officials at the FBI in New York and in Newark were not immediately available for comment on the report.
In November 2002 two shoulder-launched missiles were fired at an Israeli passenger plane taking off from Mombasa, Kenya, but did not hit the aircraft.
Updated 5:23 PM ET August 12, 2003
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. authorities arrested a British national on Tuesday and accused him of trying to smuggle a surface-to-air missile into the United States with plans to shoot down a commercial airliner, officials said.
The man was arrested on Tuesday morning in Newark, New Jersey, as part of an international sting pulled off by the FBI, British and Russian authorities, officials in Washington said.
ABC News, which first reported the story, said other arrests were under way.
The unidentified person arrested allegedly sought to smuggle a Russian-made surface-to-air missile into the country and believed he was selling missiles to would-be terrorists, sources told ABC.
The British Broadcasting Corporation reported the suspect was a British arms dealer who successfully imported a Russian Igla missile into the United States and believed he was selling it to a Muslim extremist.
But, the BBC reported, the buyer was an undercover FBI agent and the arms dealer's voice is heard on tape saying he wanted the missile to be used to shoot down a large passenger plane.
Officials at the FBI in New York and in Newark were not immediately available for comment on the report.
In November 2002 two shoulder-launched missiles were fired at an Israeli passenger plane taking off from Mombasa, Kenya, but did not hit the aircraft.
