Was TNT for al-Qaeda?

2003-06-24 21:02

Athens - The head of Greece's intelligence services said late on Tuesday he could not exclude the possibility that the explosives seized from a Sudan-bound ship were intended for the Islamic extremist al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden.

"The cargo is very large, I cannot imagine how al-Qaeda could take 680 tons of TNT, but on the other hand we cannot find out what it was intended for," Pavlos Apostolidis told the private Greek television channel Mega.

"So I cannot exclude that al-Qaeda or another group close to it was the final destination of the shipment."

Greek authorities Sunday seized the Baltic Sky in the eastern Mediterranean. allegedly loaded with 680 tons of hig explosives, including TNT and 8 000 detonators.

Greek Merchant Marine Minister George Anomeritis said the sheer size of the load - which police said equalled the amount of TNT in the Greek state arsenal - together with log book inconsistencies and the captain's statements had raised suspicions.

"We are investigating who is behind the designated recipient and even if it turns out to be an ordinary company, this is such a huge load what would they do with it?" Anomeritis told a radio station.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail said in Khartoum the cargo had been ordered by a registered Sudanese company from a Tunisian one, and that all relevant documents had been approved by his ministry.

- AFX