Finnish customs intercepted arms shipment on route to Ukraine

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish customs has intercepted a shipment of arms on its way to Ukraine, it said on Friday, with a Finnish newspaper saying it consisted of missile system parts. The customs said it had stopped a shipment of "defense materials" at the Helsinki Airport in late June. Daily Helsingin Sanomat said the air cargo consisted of a large number of parts used to steer missiles. "They were defense materials on the way to Ukraine," Sami Rakshit, head of enforcement at Finnish customs told Reuters. "They did not have the required permits." The air shipment was only passing through Helsinki airport when the customs discovered it, the daily said. The newspaper did not know the country of origin of the shipment, saying it came from the Far East. Customs would not comment. The customs is investigating who the intended recipient in Ukraine was, Rakshit said Finnish military is aiding customs in investigating the exact use for the parts of the missile system. (Reporting by Sakari Suoninen Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)