Turkey Seizes Missile Shipment to Egypt

[maddezmom]

ANKARA, Turkey - Customs authorities in Istanbul seized a radio-controlled missile and launcher as well as other weapons from a ship that was headed for Egypt from Ukraine, a government official said Thursday.



The weapons, which also included a number of rockets and warheads, were discovered in two containers after customs officials searched the ship that had docked at the port of Ambarli, 20 miles from the city, Kursad Tuzem, the minister in charge of foreign trade and customs, told reporters.


"The cargo declared by the ship's captain did not match what was inside the containers," Tuzmen said after meeting with customs officials and paramilitary police at Ambarli. "There were military weapons inside."


"We can say that the weapons are the kind that we can describe as 'sophisticated,'" he said.

~snip~
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=2&u=/ap/20040603/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_weapons_shipment

[amber dog democrat]

1. With all the ships passing through the Bosporus...

This is not suprising. There is a huge ammount of traffic coming through from the Black Sea. Wonder whom the recipients were to be. You can bet there were no end user certificates in the bills of lading.

[PATRICK]

2. Clark was in the Ukraine

Wow. Think of all the grist for fiction thrillers simply because we really don't know what's going on out there.

[amber dog democrat]

4. We are at a point where

life transcends art. There are so many scarey scenereos that are potentially possible.
I was in Turkey a few months ago, standing on a mountainous overlook where a 12th Cent. Byzantine fort stood, watching the ships underweigh making their course in and out bound....and it occurs to me now that given the chaotic break up of the USSR, and the chance that weapons could be had there and smuggled out....on random container ships. Things like this have, and may in fact BE happening.

Another thought. I was listening to Terry Gross on NPR a week ago and a guest on her show stated that the US Intelligence services believe that Bin Lauden may own as many as 20 freighters that are plying legitimate trade on the world's oceans at this time. Some may have been acquired through piracy ( crew killed, re flagged, name changed, registry faked ) .

I mean where is Tom Clancey and do we even need him these days?

[keithyboy]

3. So, only the US is allowed to sell weapons to other coutnies

Or "give them to other countries?"