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COUNTER-TERRORISM: The Mysterious al Qaeda Navy May 19, 2004: Something is going on with the mysterious Al Qaeda navy, and no one involved is saying much. In June, 2003, the 2,000 ton coastal freighter “The Baltic Sky” was seized off Greece by Greek commandos. The ship was found to be carrying 750 tons of TNT and 8,000 detonators. The ships paperwork said it was carrying fertilizer, not TNT and detonators. The seven man crew (five Ukrainians and two Azeris) said they were just following instructions from their owner. But the instructions made no sense. The ship had picked up the...

Something is going on with the mysterious Al Qaeda navy, and no one involved is saying much. In June, 2003, the 2,000 ton coastal freighter “The Baltic Sky” was seized off Greece by Greek commandos. The ship was found to be carrying 750 tons of TNT and 8,000 detonators. The ships paperwork said it was carrying fertilizer, not TNT and detonators. The seven man crew (five Ukrainians and two Azeris) said they were just following instructions from their owner. But the instructions made no sense. The ship had picked up the explosives in Tunisia, and was supposed to deliver the...

Terrorism experts fear that the world's oil tankers, sea lanes and major ports are dangerously vulnerable to 9/11-scale attacks that would cripple world trade. They cite an alarming combination of factors, including terrorist-connected Southeast Asian rebels involved in piracy, the difficulty of tracking suspect vessels in the murky world of commercial shipping, and an Al Qaeda fleet that could be as large as 300 vessels. Plots that have already been carried out include the October 2000 attack on the U.S. destroyer Cole in the port of Aden in Yemen, which killed 17 sailors, and the attack last October on the...

<p>June 27, 2003 -- LONDON - A dynamite-laden ship seized by Greece was sailing illegally without a flag, shipping officials said yesterday - the latest twist in the saga of the mystery vessel that was tracked for weeks by NATO forces.</p>

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry says the ammonium nitrate transported by the vessel had no connection with terrorism Information about the detention of the Baltic Sky cargo ship with 680 tons of ammonium nitrate and detonators on board is now widely discussed in Ukraine. Greek coast guards agents seized the vessel in the southern Ionian Sea. The explosive discovered on board is often used in mining; however it may be used for other purposes as well. The Greek police learnt about the dangerous cargo from an anonymous telephone call. Investigators were astonished to discover such considerable amounts of explosives; some official representative...

<p>THENS -- The Baltic Sky looks much like any other freighter moored in the Mediterranean. But unlike other ships in the small western Greece port of Platiyali over the weekend, the 230-foot vessel was being guarded round-the-clock by gun-toting commandos.</p>

Half a million bullets seized on Greek-Albanian border IOANNINA, Greece (AFP) Jun 28, 2003 A consignment of more than half a million Kalashnikov and G3 automatic ammunition rounds has been seized by Greek guards on the frontier with Albania, police said Saturday. The ammunition was hidden in a heavy truck registered in Greece which was officially carrying in a load of coal from Albania bound for the island of Crete. The 45 year-old Greek driver was taken into custody and was scheduled to appear later before the local state attorney in the town of Ioannina, near Kakavia, the frontier post...

ATHENS, Greece -- The captain of a Sudan-bound ship appeared before a Greek magistrate on Wednesday (25 June) to answer questions about a huge cargo of explosives that has raised fears of a terrorist plot. The hearing is specifically about accusations that captain Anatoliy Baltak and his crew entered Greek territorial waters without informing officials of the 680-tonne load of explosives and detonators. Pavlos Apostolidis, the head of Greece's intelligence service, told a local radio station on Tuesday that investigators were looking for links to al-Qaeda, pointing to irregularities in the ship's manifest and discrepancies in the testimony of the...

Greece 'too hasty' in seizing ship Helena Smith in Athens Wednesday June 25, 2003 The Guardian (UK) The Greek seizure of an explosive-laden ship bound for Sudan prompted heated exchanges between the two countries yesterday. Khartoum insisted that the cargo of 680 tonnes of high explosives and an estimated 140,000 detonators, loaded in Tunisia, had purely civilian use. Its foreign minister, Mustafa Ismail, accused Athens of ordering the seizure of the Baltic Sky on Sunday before knowing "all the facts". Mr Ismail, whose country has been accused by the US of supporting terrorists, said the shipment had been commissioned by...

A 'FLOATING atomic bomb' dramatically seized by Greek forces is managed by an Irish company, it was revealed last night. Acting on a tip-off from international intelligence agencies, Greek special forces stormed the Baltic Sky and made the largest ever seizure of illegal explosives. Senior Greek government officials last night claimed to have foiled a major terrorist plot. The ship, described as a "rust bucket", had a cargo of 680 tonnes of TNT and 8,000 detonators. It flew the flag of Comoros, a state off Africa's southeast coast, commonly used by shipping companies as a so-called flag of convenience to...

NATO naval forces, which tipped off Greece to a ship in its waters carrying 680 tonnes of explosive, are hunting a list of 20 "suspect" vessels that intelligence trackers say could be used by terrorists. Lieutenant Commander Harvey Burwin said "Operation Active Endeavour" began in October 2001 and covers the Mediterranean. Its activities have recently been stepped up, with suspicious vessels boarded and searched. "We look for ships that have had frequent changes of flag and ownership," he said. Asked if the ships on the list were suspected of being operated by militant groups like al-Qaeda, he replied: "Yes at...

June 24, 2003 Cargo Ship Raided by Greece Was Going to Sudanese Capital By FRANK BRUNI ATHENS, June 23 — A ship raided and impounded late Sunday night by Greek authorities was carrying 680 metric tons of explosives through Greek waters, Greek officials said today. The 230-foot vessel was destined for Sudan, a country that has served as a base for terrorist groups, they added. Those officials also said paperwork aboard the ship listed the recipient of the explosives as a chemical company in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, that does not exist. Those disclosures intensified both the concern and the...

Explosives ship seized by Greece heading for Sudan 1 hour, 25 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AFP to My Yahoo! ATHENS (AFP) - A ship seized in Greek waters packed with explosives equivalent to an "atomic bomb" was on its way to Sudan with the shipment addressed to a non-existant chemicals firm, a senior Greek minister said. AFP/ANA Photo The ship was carrying 680 tonnes of explosives, mainly TNT -- the "equivalent of an atomic bomb" -- and 8,000 detonators, Greek Merchant Marines Minister Georges Anomeritis said during a press conference. "We are sure that the boat was loaded...

UPDATE 1-Greece links seized ship's explosive cargo to Sudan 23 Jun 2003 12:50 (Recasts with shipping minister news conference) By Brian Williams ATHENS, June 23 (Reuters) - Greece said on Monday a seized ship carrying an "atomic bomb"-sized quantity of explosives was destined for a company with a post office box in Khartoum, Sudan, that did not exist. Casting doubts on the legality of the ship's activities, Greek Shipping Minister George Anomeritis said the vessel did not report its 680-tonne cargo of dynamite when the coast guard stopped it. "It was sailing in Greek waters and when the coast guard...

Sudan link to Greek mystery ship The Baltic Sky had been on a long odyssey around the Mediterranean An explosives-laden ship seized off Greece had documents linking it to a non-existent firm based in Sudan, say officials. The Baltic Sky was carrying 680 tons of explosives when it was stormed by special forces off Greece's western coast on Sunday. Greek Shipping Minister George Anomeritis says the ship's manifest showed that cargo was officially bound for a company with "a post office box in Khartoum that did not exist". The cargo was destined for a company with a post office box...

A 'FLOATING atomic bomb' dramatically seized by Greek forces is managed by an Irish company, it was revealed last night. Acting on a tip-off from international intelligence agencies, Greek special forces stormed the Baltic Sky and made the largest ever seizure of illegal explosives. Senior Greek government officials last night claimed to have foiled a major terrorist plot. The ship, described as a "rust bucket", had a cargo of 680 tonnes of TNT and 8,000 detonators. It flew the flag of Comoros, a state off Africa's southeast coast, commonly used by shipping companies as a so-called flag of convenience to...

Greek Forces Find 680 Metric Tons of Explosives on Ship 48 minutes ago Add Top Stories - Reuters to My Yahoo! ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece said on Sunday its special forces found 680 tonnes of explosives on board a Comoros flagged ship owned by a Marshall Islands registered company named Alpha Shipping. Greece's Merchant Marine Ministry said it had transferred the vessel, which it identified as the Baltic Sky, to a western Greek commercial port for further checks after special forces boarded the ship and found the explosives. "After acting on confirmed information, special forces checked the ship carrying 680...