SOLDIERS HELD IN MUNITIONS PROBE

The three members of 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) were arrested in Canterbury, Kent, where the battalion is based.

The arrests came as police north and south of the border investigated the alleged theft of munitions which were later supplied to people in the Strathclyde area.

Strathclyde Police said that four people had been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for a variety of offences under the Firearms Act and the Explosive Substances Act. They are expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Police said that two men, aged 36 and 27, and a woman, aged 26, were arrested in the south of England on suspicion of the theft of munitions.

It comes as the Argylls prepare to deploy to Afghanistan.

An MoD spokesman said: "The MoD can confirm that Kent Police have arrested three soldiers from 5 Scots on suspicion of the theft and supply of munitions.

"The arrests took place in Canterbury, where 5 Scots are based. Royal Military Police officers were in support. The MoD is co-operating fully with Kent Police as they pursue their investigation."

A Strathclyde Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that as part of an ongoing joint operation, a number of people were arrested at addresses in Strathclyde and the south of England in connection with the theft of munitions and the subsequent supply of those munitions to people in the Strathclyde area.

"A total of four men are the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal for a variety of offences under the Firearms Act and the Explosive Substances act."