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Terrorists, mystery cargo, and the Libyan connection
September 20, 2002
International News Analysis Today Special Report
By Toby Westerman
Copyright 2002 International News Analysis Today
www.inatoday.com
While America fixes its gaze upon Iraq and the possibility of Saddam Hussein developing weapons of mass destruction, the uncharted voyage of a freighter carrying a questionable cargo, and suspect crew, indicate that other terrorist plans are unfolding.
A series of articles from the respected Italian news daily La Stampa tell of the voyage of the Sara, and the connection the ship and those on it have for the war on terror.
The freighter Sara was scheduled to sail from Casablanca, Morocco, to Tripoli, Libya, but never reached its destination. Captain Adrian Pop Sorin commanded a crew of seven Romanians and 15 Pakistanis.
Not long after leaving Casablanca, Sorin found that the 15 Pakistani sailors on board were not the experienced sailors he thought he had hired. The 15 suddenly developed seasickness, putting the order and safety of the vessel in doubt, as the seven Romanians had to take over the duties of the now incapacitated 15 "seamen."
Sorin contacted the ship's owners, later identified as a "Pakistani and a Greek," and requested permission to put the 15 ashore at the next opportunity.
The ship had already unloaded part of its cargo at a Tunisian port.
In a subsequent statement to police and intelligence officials, Sorin stated that he was instructed to keep the 15 aboard "despite…the difficulty they created."
At the same time Sorin was confronting the problem of the seasick sailors, one of the ship's officers, Andrei Vulpe, began to notice an unusual quality of the cargo of lead ingots.
Despite the uniform dimensions of the ingots, Vulpe detected a noticeable difference in the weight of some of the lead bars.
The presence of 15 Pakistani sailors who could not sail, the demand that he keep the men on board despite the distraction they caused, Vulpe's report on the unusual nature of the cargo, aroused Sorin's suspicions, and led him to change the charted course of the Sara.
Sorin later stated to investigators that his decision to change course was particularly influenced by the ship owners not paying him for eight months.
He directed the ship to the island of Malta, but Maltese authorities refused permission to bring the vessel into port. Sorin then contacted Italian authorities, which allowed the Sara to dock at the port of Gela in Sicily.
After an interrogation, Italian police arrested the 15 on terrorism charges. U.S. Navy intelligence officers soon joined in the investigation.
The investigation found that each of the 15 had round-trip plane reservations between Casablanca and Karachi, Pakistan.
Pakistani authorities, however, stated that the identification documents which the 15 used were false, and the true nationality of the 15 still remains in doubt, according to a Reuters report.
Regardless of the nationality of the 15 men, investigators found in possession of the suspected terrorists phone numbers of known arms merchants and addresses of individuals connected with the Al Qaeda terror network.
The 15 are believed to have been heading to either Spain or France, after the delivery of their shipment to Libya.
Analysis of the weight of the lead ingots verified Vulpe's suspicions. The weight varied from just under two and one-half pounds (1.1 kilos), to just under three pounds (1.3 kilos).
Police and U.S. intelligence investigators "have not excluded" the possibility that the Sara may have been involved in an attempt "to transport radioactive material from Morocco to Libya."
While the investigation into the voyage and cargo of the Sara continues, Libya may have found a much easier source of "radioactive material."
As the saga of the Sara was coming to light, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported that Libya and the poverty-stricken, but mineral rich, nation of the Central African Republic (CAR) concluded 99-year treaty giving Libya the right to exploit the CAR's vast mineral wealth.
In addition to reserves of diamonds, gold, copper, iron, and potentially oil at Libya's disposal, the Central African Republic also has deposits of uranium.
Libya is listed as a state that supports terror, and is continuing work with Iran and North Korea in the development of long-range missiles.
See also: "Libya missile threat to Europe, Israel -- North Korea, Iran show how."