Missile triggers US tiff
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Your support makes all the difference.A MISSILE exported from Britain to the US has been impounded after American authorities found it was not demilitarised, triggering some uncomfortable moments for the recipient and a tiff between customs authorities.
A weapons fan from California decided that the missile and its mobile Transport-Erector-Launcher would make an ideal addition to his collection, and ordered one from a small firm near London. The Czech SS1-C was sent by freighter to California, but when it was examin- ed by officials they claim it was not, as the documentation said, properly demilitarised.
The US Customs Service claimed the guidance system and engine were intact and only a warhead was missing. British Customs took a very different view, insisting the missile was deactivated and that nothing illegal had taken place. "It was a dud," said a spokesman.
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