FBI Arrests Two on Missile-Smuggling Charges

A federal grand jury indicted two men on Wednesday for allegedly conspiring to smuggle surface-to-air missiles into the United States for use abroad. The U.S. attorney's office pointed out that this is the first time a 2004 anti-terrorism law has been used. The law calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted.

Chao Tung Wu, 51, and Yi Qing Chen, 41, are naturalized U.S. citizens born in China, authorities said. The conspiracy did not involve domestic terrorists, and the two men were told by an undercover agent that the missiles would be sent abroad. Bribes, including one for $2 million, were to be paid to certian foreign officials. Authorities declined to identify the countries involved.

The attorney for Mr. Wu said that his client is innocent, and that the case was "conceived, nurtured and orchestrated by the undercover agent, who worked this case for a number of years." The lawyer also said that no weapons or components changed hands. The men were arrested in August, under charges of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and Ecstasy and importing millions of counterfeit cigarettes.