11.   Tambov police chief Vladimir Uvarov told the agency the thieves intended to sell the metals abroad.

12.   The men meant to sell metal as scrap.

13.   The metal is then sold to private buyers.

14.   Traders at GNI damped market enthusiasm, saying that at these prices, producers holding reserves will be strongly tempted to sell the metal.

15.   The metal was sold to factories in Baghdad which used them in house construction or to make cooking utensils.