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Last update - 15:20 02/09/2009
EU official: Israel likely hijacked Mideast-bound ship
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Peres, Israel News, Defense 

Israel was likely behind the hijacking in July of an Russian-manned ship en route to Algeria, the European Union's rapporteur on piracy has told TIME.

Admiral Tarmo Kouts was quoted as saying Israel probably intercepted the vessel, the Arctic Sea, as it carried a secret cargo of weapons to the Middle East.

"There is the idea that there were missiles aboard, and one can't explain this situation in any other way," he told the weekly news magazine, in an interview published Monday. "As a sailor with years of experience, I can tell you that the official versions are not realistic."
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This theory, which Russian analysts put forward in the days after the Arctic Sea was rescued, TIME reported, has been vehemently denied by Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitri Rogozin, who was quoted as saying Kouts should stop "running his mouth."

According to the magazine, Russia's official explanation for the incident is that the ship set sail from Finland under a Maltese flag on July 22. It was bound for Algeria and carried less than $2 million worth of timber. Then a group of eight Russian and former Soviet hijackers boarded the ship on July 24.

The ship's tracking device was disabled in the last days of the month, as it passed through the English Channel into the Atlantic, and the ship disappeared, TIME reported. On Aug. 12, the Russian navy sent out a search party. A week later, Russia declared that the ship and its crew had been rescued.

But TIME says this version of events is undermined by the fact that the ship issued no distress signal and a surprise visit to Russia by President Shimon Peres a day after the ship was rescued.

The article came amid reports of redoubled Israeli efforts to halt arms smuggling to its enemies in the Middle East, especially to Iran and its Palestinan proxy, Hamas.

In April, the Egyptian newspaper El-Aosboa reported that an Iranian vessel laden with weapons bound for the Gaza Strip was torpedoed off the coast of Sudan, allegedly by Israeli or American forces operating in the area.

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      1.   Israel likely hijacked Mideast bound ship. 09:26  |  David Nigel Braham 02/09/09
      2.   TIME is also publishing hearsay??? WOW! 09:26  |  S 02/09/09
      3.   Here we go again!!!! 09:45  |  lily 02/09/09
      4.   If mossad really pulled this off, I say Hell yeah! Can you just 09:48  |  Maurie 02/09/09
      5.   ---Instant Classic--- 10:09  |  Brendan 02/09/09
      6.   Kol Hakavod 10:18  |  Johnny 02/09/09
      7.   Still no comment from Israel on the other ship. 10:20  |  Maureen Ann 02/09/09
      8.   Could be true, but honestly, Israel has done much more "evil".... 10:22  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/09/09
      9.   pure speculation 10:28  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/09/09
      10.   Only speculation 10:50  |  Serge 02/09/09
      11.   ISRAEL likely Hijacked ship ! 11:10  |  The Teacher/Instruct 02/09/09
      12.   International outlaw Israel gets no respect 11:12  |  Ivar 02/09/09
      13.   Israel is not committing itself, Serge, CJK 11:15  |  sh 02/09/09
      14.   Isarel has hijacked airliners, so piracy is not unexpected 11:30  |  Joseph Steinberg 02/09/09
      15.   Doesn`t make sense 12:16  |  Chris Linthwaite 02/09/09
      16.   who hijacked the ship doesnt mater knowing what was the cargo doe 12:38  |  zionist forever 02/09/09
      17.   Arms to Gaza Strip 12:41  |  Erik 02/09/09
      18.   Smart faces shaven Palestinian officials 12:41  |  Taha Mokhtar 02/09/09
      19.   Not very plausible. 13:01  |  Michael 02/09/09
      20.   Israel genetically created Barak Obama 13:13  |  James 02/09/09
      21.   Twice within a year? 13:22  |  Dutch Dirk 02/09/09
      22.   former hijackers - current hijackers? 13:41  |  Michael 02/09/09
      23.   Where is the beef? 13:51  |  Mark Lincoln 02/09/09
      24.   #9 14:05  |  Harold 02/09/09
      25.   Israeli "hijacking " 14:14  |  DT 02/09/09
      26.   To Yussuf "Steinberg" 14:16  |  Brutus 02/09/09
      27.   #21 14:20  |  Harold 02/09/09
      28.   dont forget folks 14:29  |  zionist forever 02/09/09
      29.   #8 Swiss....funny, a Swiss discussing another`s 15:00  |  Lynn 02/09/09
      30.   The hijacked Russian ship was carrying stolen Arab Organs 15:06  |  Proud Israeli 02/09/09
      31.   Johnboy #6 How smart you are! You want a medal? 15:17  |  S 02/09/09
      32.   Admiral Tarmo Kouts Doesn`t Make Sense 15:26  |  Jeff Northridge 02/09/09
      33.   Love that EU 15:36  |  Lynn 02/09/09
      34.   Russia lyng about the hiding arms 15:39  |  Jose Pedro 02/09/09
      35.   S News in America 16:01  |  Mark Lincoln 02/09/09
      36.   # 29 Lynn, on the contrary, your governement made us act...... 17:24  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/09/09
      37.   EU 17:26  |  me again 02/09/09
      38.   mossad 17:33  |  PR 02/09/09
      39.   If this were true then Russia will 17:38  |  The Scoundrel 02/09/09
      40.   now we know 17:44  |  oz 02/09/09
      41.   # 8 Swiss (Dino) 17:46  |  Charles Ronen 02/09/09
      42.   It`s only speculation 17:48  |  Amir 02/09/09
      43.   AWESOME 18:09  |  Russ T 02/09/09
      44.   Mark Lincoln #35 Yeah, "reputation" seems to be an anachronism. 18:36  |  S 02/09/09
      45.   James # 20 19:00  |  Alan 02/09/09
      46.   The ship was hijacked by. . . . 19:07  |  MichaelF 02/09/09
      47.   #36 Swiss Dino defender of the drug cartels 19:13  |  Alan 02/09/09
      48.   Israel would have torpedoed it in the deepest water possible 19:16  |  Ian Robertson 02/09/09
      49.   Swiss (Dino) there are many evil in the world 20:10  |  David Israel 02/09/09
      50.   TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE 20:22  |  Zorro 02/09/09
      51.   Swiss (Dino) to Lynn - What is really immoral 20:23  |  David Israel 02/09/09
      52.   the palestinians claim to be philistines maybe they did it 20:26  |  zionist forever 02/09/09
      53.   # 47 Alan, it is the privilege of the free ("unoccupied") Swiss.. 20:42  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/09/09
      54.   # 41 Charles, having enjoyed the "mercy of late birth" (1968).... 20:46  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/09/09
      55.   #34 Jose Pedro. Russia doesn`t lie, mate. 21:58  |  Maureen Ann 02/09/09
      56.   #51 David Israel 22:14  |  Chris Linthwaite 02/09/09
      57.   Maureen Ann and various media 22:19  |  Eaglebeak 02/09/09
      58.   Chris Linthwaite 22:38  |  David Israel 02/09/09
      59.   #31 Well, smarter than you, S. 04:22  |  Johnboy 03/09/09
      60.   MAUREEN "doesn`t lie mate"? Kursk mate! 05:38  |  PETER SM 03/09/09
      61.   intellect can be an anchor in a raging river 07:51  |  reality 03/09/09
      62.   European Officials 14:10  |  traveller 03/09/09
      63.   Odd responses 08:18  |  Colin Wright 05/09/09
      64.   Swiss (Dino) 19:38  |  Rob 05/09/09
      65.   Sweden responds to Mossad 21:11  |  George 10/09/09
      66.   # 30 No, but the connection is there? 21:17  |  George 10/09/09
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