US senators detained at Russian airport

A plane carrying two US senators was detained for several hours yesterday while trying to leave Russia before being permitted to leave.

Indiana Republican Richard and Illinois Democrat Barack Obama, who had been visiting WMD storage sites, were held at an airport in the Ural mountain city of Perm.

The senators spent three days visiting sites where warheads are stored before destruction under the US-funded Comprehensive Threat Reduction programme. No reason for the delay was given.