Russian minister says U.S. shield "a booby trap"

MOSCOW, June 1 (Reuters) Russia's defence minister likened U.S. plans for a missile defence shield in eastern Europe to planting a booby-trap bomb under Russia's front door, in an interview published today.

Russia says the missile shield plan is a threat to its security.

It has hit back by test-launching a new ballistic missile in a show of strength and accusing the United States of starting a new arms race.

''Figuratively speaking, the Americans are trying to lay a booby-trap bomb under the door to our apartment,'' Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said in an interview with the Rossiskaya Gazeta daily.

''And we, in their opinion, are not supposed to react to that in any way,'' he said.

Washington says the missile shield is needed to defend against missile attacks by what it calls rogue states, such as Iran and North Korea. It is in talks with Poland and the Czech Republic to site parts of the shield on their soil.

REUTERS DS ND1843