Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Yemen has seized a shipment of surface-to-air missiles
believed sent by Iran.

Officials said the Yemen Navy captured a ship that contained a large
cache of weapons believed to stem from Iran. They said the ship, which was
not registered in Iran, was transporting surface-to-air missiles.

“Authorities are continuing to investigate the vessel’s shipping route
by analyzing navigation records found on board the ship,” the Yemeni
government said.

In a statement, the Yemen embassy in the United States said the ship
also contained rocket-propelled grenades, missiles and military-grade
explosives. The embassy said the ship was intercepted off the Yemeni coast on Jan. 22.

Sanaa said the ship flew several national flags and contained Yemeni
crew members. The statement said the Yemen Coast Guard tracked the ship near the Arabian Sea.

The United States has reported Iranian attempts to smuggle weapons to Yemen. Officials said the weapons were meant for the Shi’ite rebel group, Believing Youth, deployed in the northern provinces near the border with Saudi Arabia.

On Jan. 29, U.S. Defense Department spokesman George Little confirmed
the ship interception. Little said the ship came from Iran and had been
operating in Yemeni territorial waters.

“The dhow was observed operating erratically and low in the water and
ventured into Yemeni waters, so a routine boarding was conducted,” Little
said. “Arms were discovered. I think the Yemenis have indicated what some
of those weapons and material were. And we had crew statements that
indicate that the point of origin was Iran.”

Later, the Yemeni Interior Ministry said the interception of the ship
was conducted with the U.S. Navy. The Interior Ministry statement said the
ship also included C4 explosives and 122mm shells as well as components for
car bombs.

“The investigation is underway with the ship’s crew, consisting of eight
Yemeni sailors, to find out the source and destination of those weapons,”
Yemen’s official Saba news agency said.

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