Jun 3, 2003
By SUZAN FRASER
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - 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.
He did not give any further details on the quantity, nature of the weapons or on the missile's range, saying an investigation was under way.
Tuzmen said the ship's captain had declared the ship was carrying spare parts. Officials became suspicious after noticing damage to numbers inscribed on the container, he said.
Asked whether the containers may have also included chemical weapons, Tuzmen replied: "The inspections are ongoing."
Tuzmen said the ship from Ukraine had unloaded the containers at Ambarli. Another ship was scheduled to carry the cargo to Egypt.
Reports said the ship's crew had been arrested, but Tuzmen refused to comment.
Port authorities on Thursday barred journalists from approaching the area where the ship was docked.
In Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokesman Markiyan Lubkivsky said that his ministry "is in the process of checking all the relevant facts about the ship and its cargo."
Turkey has boosted security ahead of a NATO summit in Istanbul later this month which President Bush and other leaders are scheduled to attend.
Last month, police in the northwestern city of Bursa announced that they had foiled a plan to attack the summit and courts have charged nine people in connection with that plot.
Four truck bombings blamed on a Turkish al-Qaida cell killed more than 60 people in November in Istanbul. A court has charged 69 suspects in those bombings.
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