Government allowed Shannon missile stopover

THE Government sanctioned the passage of a consignment of 28 Patriot missiles through Shannon Airport, official documents seen by the Irish Examiner reveal.

According to official Government documents, the hi-tech precision weapons designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles were dispatched from Israel to the US in June 2001. The civilian cargo plane carrying the munitions landed in Shannon for a planned "technical stopover".

Each missile contained 44kg of high explosives and 498kg of rocket fuel. Despite the dangerous nature of the cargo, four separate Government departments raised no objections nor made any detailed comment.