NEW YORK (Reuter) - The FBI has confiscated a rock, which was supposedly taken from the moon during the 1969 Apollo 12 mission, from Phillips auction house where it was to be sold Saturday.

The FBI said in a brief statement that it took the rock into custody using a grand jury subpoena Friday. It is continuing the investigation.

NASA could not be reached for comment, but said earlier in the week that if they thought the rock was real they would have the FBI confiscate to be examined and possibly retain. At the time, they did not think the likelihood it was real warranted the effort.

The New York Times reported Saturday that NASA began to believe that this rock might be a moon rock stolen in 1970 when they received a tip from a postal inspector who read a story of the dubious lunar rock.

The auction house issued a brief statement: ``Questions have been raised from various communications and sources and Phillips will not offer the lunar specimen for sale in its Natural History Auction.'

The auction house said the rock, which was geologically examined, came from the family of a deceased scientist who pioneered food packaging for the space program.