A Thai court yesterday extended the detention of a five-man crew of a plane carrying weapons out of North Korea, the first known airborne arms cargo seized under the latest UN sanctions against Pyongyang.

The 30-tonne cache, including missiles and rocket-propelled grenades, was discovered after a Belarussian pilot and four Kazakh crew landed to refuel at Bangkok's domestic Don Mueang airport on Friday.

The men were charged with possessing weapons for war and yesterday a Thai court extended their detention so that police can investigate further.

"The court approved our request to detain them for another 12 days and they will be moved to Bangkok Remand Prison while their lawyer seeks bail," said national police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen after the hearing.

Defence lawyer Somsak Saithong said a court denied the men bail late yesterday, but he would make a further application today with support from the Kazakh embassy in Bangkok.

Initial inspections suggested there was no nuclear weaponry in the cargo, Air Vice Marshal Meatha Sangkavichitr of the air force's armament department said, after a meeting to discuss the arms with other top security officials.

There was also no evidence of links to terrorism, according to Tawin Pleansri, secretary general of the National Security Council.

Pilot Mikhai Petukhou, 54, and crew members Viktor Abdullayev, 58, Vitaliy Shumkov, 54, Alexandr Zrybner and Ilyas Issakov, both 53, said in questioning they had "no idea" what they were transporting, police spokesman Pongsapat said.

The plane had stopped in the United Arab Emirates and Thailand before flying to Pyongyang, government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said.

After returning from the North Korean capital, it was due to stop next in Sri Lanka but its end destination was not clear, as the suspects had suggested both Eastern Europe and the Middle East under questioning, he added.

The weapons, which were transferred to an air force base in central Thailand, came from a North Korean company and the Russian cargo plane was registered in Georgia, Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Sunday.

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