French customs police at the port of Calais discovered a 1.5-tonne missile aboard a truck heading to Britain, officials said today.
The five-metre missile was not armed and had not been protected in any way for the journey, said Gerald Lesigne, prosecutor of nearby Boulogne-sur-Mer.
It remained unclear where the missile came from or what the driver planned to do with it once in Britain.
Police discovered it on Monday during a routine border control of an Italian-registered truck.
The driver had not filled out customs documents for transporting classified items across borders, Lesigne said.
The driver was placed under investigation today — one step short of formal charges — for three arms-trafficking violations, endangerment and disobeying customs rules.
AP