11:10am UK, Tuesday June 03, 2003

A New Zealand man is building a cruise missile in his garage using parts bought over the internet.

180 bruce simpson

Simpson: 'Not rocket science'

Bruce Simpson says he wants to prove how easy it is for terrorists to build a bomb for less than £1,800.

He has bought most of the hi-tech components for the missile from internet auction house eBay.

The military version of "Junkyard Wars", as he describes it, began when the 49-year-old wrote a piece on his own website boasting of how easy it would be to build a Raytheon Tomahawk.

Web surfers claimed he could not do it.

So "In order to prove my case, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and build a cruise missile in my own garage, on a budget of just US$5,000," he writes.

The internet site engineer will provide "detailed documentation" on his pet project to "those who qualify" and who pay a subscription.

He says he will also tell the New Zealand airforce of his plans to fire the rocket.

"Obviously the goal of this Web site is not to provide terrorists or other nefarious types with the plans for a working cruise missile but to prove the point that nations need to be prepared for this type of sophisticated attack from within their own borders," Simpson writes.

A police spokesman said: "It's not something we recommend people try at home."