Free Republic

Three giant cargo ships are being tracked by US and British intelligence on suspicion that they might be carrying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Each with a deadweight of 35,000 to 40,000 tonnes, the ships have been sailing around the world's oceans for the past three months while maintaining radio silence in clear violation of international maritime law, say authoritative shipping industry sources. The vessels left port in late November, just a few days after UN weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix began their search for the alleged Iraqi arsenal on their return to the country. Uncovering such a deadly...

BERLIN -- Acting on intelligence gathered by American and allied agencies, the United States is tracking ships that have left ports in Africa and are in the Mediterranean that may be involved in smuggling goods to finance terrorist groups, according to a senior U.S. military officer in Europe. Authorities are now working through technical and legal issues to decide if the ships, which are also suspected of carrying supplies to make weapons of mass destruction, should be boarded at sea or inspected when they try to dock, said the officer, who has been taking part in high-level daily intelligence briefings ...

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...