Report: Ship 'hijacked' near U.K. carried Russian missiles for Iran
The Sunday Times quotes sources as saying Mossad told Russia freighter was carrying anti-aircraft missiles.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Russia Iran nuclear Israel newsA ship that was reportedly hijacked in the English Channel was carrying advanced Russian anti-aircraft missiles to Iran and had been tracked by Israel, the Sunday Times quoted sources in Russia and Israel as saying.
The paper also quoted the sources as saying that Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, tracked the vessel and later tipped off Moscow that its cargo had been sold by former Russian military officers linked to the Russian underworld.
The Arctic Sea, which set sail from Finland on July 21 with 15 Russian crew members and a cargo of timber, failed to arrive in Algeria on August 4 as scheduled. The ship's signal had disappeared in the Atlantic in late July.
Russia sent naval vessels August 12 to search for the ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Days later, the government said it had found the Arctic Sea off West Africa and arrested eight hijackers.
But this version of events has been challenged by a number of sources.
Military officials believe a "cover story" was concocted, The Sunday Times reported, since any evidence that the Kremlin had let advanced weaponry fall into the hands of criminals or be sold to Iran would be highly embarrassing.
"The official version is ridiculous and was given to allow the Kremlin to save face," the British paper quoted a Russian military source as saying.
"I've spoken to people close to the investigation and they've pretty much confirmed Mossad's involvement. It's laughable to believe all this fuss was over a load of timber. I'm not alone in believing that it was carrying weapons to Iran."
The Sunday Times quoted the sources in Jerusalem and Moscow as claiming the ship actually had been loaded with S-300 missiles, Russia's most advanced anti-aircraft weapon, while undergoing repairs in the Russian port of Kaliningrad.
The air defense system could help Iran repel a possible Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites. Iran has long been interested in buying the missiles from Russia, but Israel has sought to convince Moscow not to deliver the systems.
Israeli military sources said Israel received intelligence that weapons bound for Iran were being loaded in the port, according to the report. "A decision was then taken to inform the Kremlin," a source was quoted as saying.
The paper said sources in Moscow suggested Mossad may have played a part in the alleged hijacking by carrying it out via a criminal gang, who were unlikely to have known anything about a secret cargo. "The best way for the Israelis to block the cargo from reaching Iran would have been to create a lot of noise around the ship," said a former army officer, according to the report.
"Once the news of the hijack broke, the game was up for the arms dealers. The Russians had to act. That's why I don't rule out Mossad being behind the hijacking. It stopped the shipment and gave the Kremlin a way out so that it can now claim it mounted a brilliant rescue mission."
On Thursday, the Russian maritime expert who was among the first to raise the alarm about the mysterious disappearance of the Arctic Sea said he had fled the country after receiving a threatening phone call.
Mikhail Voitenko, the editor of the online Maritime Bulletin-Sovfracht, posted an article about the freighter's disappearance on August 8. He later speculated that the ship might have been carrying a secret cargo, possibly weapons.
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With Iran's amazing ability to manufacture anti-stealth missiles, anti-anti-missile-missiles, supersonic drones, doctor photos, etc., etc. Iran does not require the latest Russian anti-aircraft missiles, as it is obvious that Iran's own missile technology is so far ahead of the Russians' that the Russian weapons would be obsolete, by Iran standards.
Mossad couldn't punch it's way out of a paper bag. Russia does not need to sneak defensive missiles into Iran. Russia does not fear Israel either, only it's protector the US. Some of the missiles and the system are most likely already in Iran. The Iranian land based S-200 system is ready for an upgrade to the S-300 system. The missiles are easily put in place once a system installation has been completed. No need to move the missiles until the system is working and ready. There will be multiple deliveries of missiles. Iran is after all a very BIG country, of almost 70 million people, most under the age of thirty.
the world?
JN:"If Mossad had been involved, then the ship would have been scuttled in the Baltic before even reaching the North Sea with the survivors in lifeboats rowing towards Copenhagen." well this just shows how incapapble of logical thinking you are, the russians would NOT have scuttled the ship, because they would have lost all those armemants, they did the right thing, as for writing movies, better stick to your daytime job, if you have one.
Putin will be peed off, iran will get the S300 and even the S400, russia has had enough of israeli interference, your out of your league israel, and i'm pretty sure you just signed your death warrant.
to get the S300 weapons system with a Users handbook. Then it is only a matter of time before Iran gets it's hands on this weapons system.
Russia, along with many other countries, have signed a treaty with the UN prohibiting the sale of advanced missles to third world countries and transporting them over ocean routes. Therefore, if Russia were caught, or acknowledged they were secretly circumventing the treaty, they would have to go before the UN and explain why.
Do you people even read the article and think before you post a comment? #3 - The shipment was not coming out of Iran, but going to Iran! #4,6,8 - Finnish port?!?! What the hell!!! Kalinegrad is a Russian enclave! And the article clearly states Sunday Times as reporting arms dealers tried to smuggle the weapons, so it's probably easier to ship them on a boat than to try and cross the borders of European countries. Caspian Sea.... do you even know where Kalinegrad is?!?
If the report is true,then Israel for sure has an S300 anti- missile system that she is inspecting along with the U.S.
The Maltese-flagged Arctic Sea after taking on a load of lumber in Finland bound for Algeria stops in at Kaliningrad for repairs and to pick up a few S-300's bound for Persia. Mossad, cleverly disguised as Russian or Baltic criminals hijack the ship and sail it undetected through the North Sea, the English Channel, and out into the Atlantic Ocean all of the way down to Western Sahara being pursued by half of the Russian Navy before it was cornered and recovered. If Mossad had been involved, then the ship would have been scuttled in the Baltic before even reaching the North Sea with the survivors in lifeboats rowing towards Copenhagen. "The Hunt For Red October" was a big hit so why not for "The Hunt For the Arctic Sea"? The final scene can be of Ahmadinejad gnawing the carpet and saying something like, "Curses, foiled again!"
Why would Russia bother to transport missiles across N. Europe to a Finnish port, then ship them across the Baltic and North Sea, then across the Med? It makes no sense, since Russia could have used the Caspian Sea for transport. The only cover story being concocted here is to cover up MOSSAD piracy.
Russia and Iran share the Caspian sea. So, why would they go all the way around Europe and Persian gulf infested with american war ships?
but it will come from the government - and it can send them accompanied by nuclear armed subs and warships - these were just a bunch of criminals.
This sounds like a cover story for a cover story. Why go so far with these 'weapons', sailing around, being sought out by the Russian Navy, when you could take these 'weapons' to Iran by any of 1000 or more direct routes. Ridiculous. I heard the ship was carrying nuke wastes to dump somewhere off the African coast, which is considered to be illegal (but profitable!)
Anything coming out of Iran should be intercepted. They are terrorist thugs like any other and should be treated as such. I hope Israel did intercept the cargo and continues to do so as much as they can.
Memories of Cherbourgh French ship hijacking. Absolutley lawless piracy .
It seems that Haaretz is speculating on others speculation. It seems that this article has no actual news or sources in it. It seems that this is typical of Haaretz. I hope it's true and that these SA 300 s are now safely set up in Israel.