Finland has granted permission for the release of 69 Patriot missiles destined to South Korea which had been confiscated in a Finnish port in December, the government said on Wednesday. However, the release of the surface-to-air missiles was still pending while police and customs officials finished their investigation, the STT news agency said.
The missiles, which were being sold by Germany, were found on December 21 when authorities searched a cargo ship in Kotka, southern Finland. Authorities said the ship did not have permissions to transport defence material and arrested its Ukrainian captain and chief officer on suspicion of trying to transport the missiles via Finland without proper documentation.