Suicide Speedboat Intercepted by Iran: Trio of Others Elude Capture

March 26, 2003

U.S. and British naval forces are on high alert against seaside suicide attacks after Iranian gunboats intercepted an Iraqi speedboat packed with half a ton of high explosives.

Three other Iraqi speedboats got away when Iranian forces engaged Iraqis at the mouth of the Shatt-al-Arab River, the waterway that marks the border between the two countries.

The explosives were discovered after one of the Iraqi boats was run aground during the confrontation.

Coalition warships in the region have been on high alert for the risk of al-Qaida strikes since the suicide attack against the USS Cole in October 2000 in which 17 American sailors were killed, and last year's ramming of the French oil tanker, the Linburg.

But the discovery of the Iraqi speedboats is the first physical evidence that suicide attacks are being planned.

WorldNetDaily and Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin both warned about a large purchase of about 100 rubber speedboats by Iraq several weeks ago. The boats are the same kind used in sea attacks by Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations. The articles warned the Iraqi plan was to create an "anti-ship suicide flotilla."

The boats are of the Zodiac class and can, as terrorist groups have shown in the past, be fitted with explosives or rocket launchers.

Similar tactics were used for the attack on the USS Cole and in numerous attempts to attack Israeli shipping.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31719