Man held by FBI over 'missile terror plot'

A British man was appearing in a US court today after being arrested by the FBI over an alleged plot to smuggle into the United States a shoulder-fired missile capable of taking down a commercial airliner.

The suspected arms dealer was arrested in New Jersey after agreeing to sell a sophisticated Russian SA-18 Igla missile to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Muslim extremist, according to a US government law enforcement official.

The man’s name and the charges were not immediately available.

The understanding between the man and the undercover agent was that the missile needed to be capable of bringing down a commercial plane, the official said.

The missile was brought to the United States aboard a ship to make the deal seem real, but was under the supervision of investigators, the official said. It had been rendered incapable of being fired.

A New Jersey law enforcement source said the man was arrested yesterday at a hotel near Newark Liberty International Airport, and added that another two people involved in the case were arrested at about the same time in Manhattan.

A court appearance was expected today in Newark.

Authorities stressed that no specific, credible threat was connected to the alleged plot. The investigation lasted about five months.

The arrest was part of a broader investigation by the FBI, British and Russian authorities, the federal official said.

Justice Department officials and the British Foreign Office had no immediate comment.

Concerns about terrorists using shoulder-fired missiles to shoot down planes increased in November when two SA-7 missiles narrowly missed an Israeli passenger jet after it took off from Mombasa, Kenya. Officials concluded that al-Qaida was probably was behind the attack, which coincided with a bomb blast at a nearby hotel.

Hundreds and perhaps thousands of shoulder-fired missiles – heat-seeking rockets that can hit low-flying aircraft within about three miles – are said to be available on the worldwide arms market. Older missile launchers can be bought for as little as several thousand dollars.

The United States has sent aviation experts to Iraq and major capitals in Europe and Asia to assess the security of commercial airports. The investigators are determining whether the airports can be defended against shoulder-fired missiles.

World leaders meeting in Evian, France, in June, acknowledged the threat and adopted a plan to restrict sales of the weapons. In the United States, the Homeland Security Department is also asking hi-tech companies to propose ways to protect airliners from shoulder-fired missiles.

The BBC reported the arrest of a British arms dealer in a suspected plot to supply surface-to-air missile to terrorists.

Although no actual terrorists are thought to have been involved in the operation, intelligence officials told the BBC it was a terrifying illustration of the vulnerability of Western nations to attack by extremists.

The Igla Russian-made surface-to-air missile has a 2.5-mile range, infrared capability and is believed to have been responsible for the shooting down last year in Chechnya of a Russian troop-carrying helicopter.

BBC correspondent Tom Mangold said the man allegedly bought a missile for $85,000 (€120,000) from corrupt middle management at a Russian factory and was promised another 50.

The BBC said Russia detected the man five months ago in St Petersburg, and that Russian president Vladimir Putin authorised the FBI to have an undercover agent sent to Russia.

The suspected arms dealer flew to New York on Sunday on a British Airways flight from London. But he was followed on to the plane and kept under surveillance until his arrest, the BBC said.