Enigma theft: man charged

Police in Britain investigating the theft of a rare Enigma code machine dating from the Second World have charged a man with blackmail and handling stolen goods.

The machine -- invented by the Germans to send top secret orders to Nazi forces in the field -- was stolen in April.

It had been on display in a museum at the wartime decoding centre at Bletchley Park in southern England, where the secrets of the Enigma were finally broken by British intelligence.

The machine itself, one of only three still in existence, was returned anonymously last month.

But crucial parts were missing and police say a ransom demand for almost forty-thousand dollars was made for their safe return. The missing parts have not been found.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service