(2003-08-13) -- The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) today announced that it has arrested three unnamed CIA agents and prevented a "virtual missile attack".

In a complex triple sting operation, a CIA agent posing as an arms dealer purchased a shoulder-launched missile from a CIA agent posing as a weapons manufacturer and sold it to another CIA agent posing as a terrorist who pretended he wanted to bring down an American passenger jet.

The arrests follow yesterdays announcement that a British arms dealer was in custody after buying a disabled missile from Russian spies and selling it to American spies. No actual terrorists were involved in the transaction.

"This just demonstrates how easy it is for the world's top spies to pretend to do dangerous things," said a CIA spokesman. "I shudder to think of what could happen if terrorists had access to our network of international intelligence agents, and our huge, vaguely-designated budgets."