[Cicero]

This is certainly a fishy business, and I look forward to seeing more information about it.

Still, it also has the hallmarks of a hesitant or failed operation, more amateur than professional. Why on earth were they dawdling around, traveling all over the Mediterranean, going from port to port like that, and increasing the chances of exposure? It strikes me that perhaps they had vague terrorist intentions but no definite plan, or that the original plan somehow went awry and left them with an awkward cargo and no place to go.

Well, we'll see--if the intelligence services don't decide the bury the truth, as they so often do.

[r9etb]

Why on earth were they dawdling around, traveling all over the Mediterranean, going from port to port like that, and increasing the chances of exposure?

How's about because they're stupid and ignorant? They probably thought they couldn't be seen if they were out of sight of land. By showing up in all these spots, they probably hoped to "confuse" people as to where they were going, and thus where the ship was at any given time.

Then when everybody was confused, they could show up at their target by surprise, and make a big mess.

That might even have worked 50 years ago. Alas, they appear to have neglected the fact that we've been tracking ships by satellite for a long, long time.

[Farnham]

Could have been waiting for a Carrier group to come by.

Maybe they didn't realize the picket ships would never let them close, hence your observation.