ST. PETERSBURG, April 18. /TASS/. Two Mormons from the United States have been detained in the Leningrad Region for illegally entering a restricted area near the border, the border guard department of the federal security service FSB office for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region told TASS on Friday. The incident occurred in the village of Lebyazhye, the Lomonosovsky district, not far from the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant.

"The trespassers - two US citizens aged 19 and 20 - said they were follows of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. In the border zone they were indulging in proselytism, spreading religious books," the border guard department said, adding that both young men were in Russia on legal reasons and spoke fluent Russian. When detained and questioned, they displayed no aggression.

The men were cautioned. Deportation may follow if they commit two more offences over twelve months to come.