A man has been held in connection with the theft of a military laptop, following an attempt to sell its secrets to a tabloid newspaper for 15,000.

The 2000 laptop contained "specifications for the next generation of fighter aircraft and details of how they can be controlled from the ground", according to Whitehall insiders, cited by the Sunday Times.

A thief stole the laptop from a naval intelligence officer at Paddington railway station, in London. Apparently unaware of its contents, the thief sold the PC onto to a dealer for 100, or so.

The dealer then tried to sell the story to a tabloid newspaper, the ST reports. In what some may regard as a tactical blunder, he failed to return the laptop to its rightful owner, the Ministry of Defence. ®