Missile cache found near airport

Fears that Russia is being targeted by terrorists grew today after police discovered a store of surface-to-air missiles buried near a Moscow airport.

Security police uncovered the munitions hidden in a cemetery, directly under the flight path of aircraft landing at Vnukovo airport, south-west of the city.

The airport mainly handles domestic flights, but also some charter flights abroad.

President Putin has been a strong supporter of the US-led war on terrorism since the 11 September attacks in New York and Washington.

Moscow has blamed Chechnya-based Islamic militants for a series of apartment-block bombings in 1999, which killed more than 300 people, as well as an attack last month in which more than 40 people were killed during a military parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

"We are trying to understand why these weapons were there," said Moscow police spokesman Kiril Mazurin. "One version is they were stolen from a military unit to be sold to criminal groups.

"The second is that a terrorist act was being planned against aircraft, because this cache was located directly under the flight path for landing."

It was the first time police had discovered such a large amount of modern military ordnance so close to a key installation.

According to experts, anyone with basic training would be able to arm and fire the missiles.

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