According to a spokeswoman for the police in the northern town of Siauliai, the German pilot was caught short in the wee hours of Friday and sought relief against the side of Siauliai's courthouse.

He faces a fine of up to 87 euros (104 dollars) by the Lithuanian authorities, who consider urinating on a public building an act of vandalism.

Police spokeswoman Gailute Smagriuniene said the pilot had 2.66 grammes of alcohol in his blood, "considered a high level of intoxication in Lithuania."

He was detained briefly by local police before being handed over to the Lithuanian military police, who identified him as part of the German NATO airspace contingent, which on Thursday took over patrols of the Baltic skies from the Dutch air force.

The drunken soldier was handed over to his superior officers and, according to the spokesman for the German contingent in Lithuania, Juergen Loeffler, will first have to explain himself in a civil court in Lithuania and then face a German military hearing.

"The authorities in Germany have been notified of the incident," said Loeffler, adding that the soldier could either be fined or given a warning by the German military.

NATO member countries have been taking turns at sending their fighters to patrol the air space over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania since the three joined the alliance in March last year, as the Baltic states do not have the capacity to do so themselves.

Belgium and Denmark were the first NATO countries to send their air forces to Lithuania, where the patrol is based, followed by Britain and Norway.

The United States are scheduled to take over the air-police mission later this year, followed by Poland and Spain.

Belgian, British and Danish soldiers have also had run-ins with the Lithuanian police due to excessive alcohol consumption.

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