Arms Arrests Catch Poland by Surprise
Poland on Saturday expressed surprise and concern over the arrests of six of its citizens, including several former high-ranking government officials, for allegedly trying to sell millions of dollars worth of arms to U.S. undercover agents.
A U.S. Customs Service sting targeted an alleged attempt to sell $96 million in arms to Iraq despite an arms embargo against Saddam Hussein’s government.
Defense Minister Jan Parys expressed concern for the accused, according to the PAP news agency.
“It is difficult for me to say who arrested those Poles and why,” he was quoted as saying. “I hope that those people, citizens of our country, are treated lawfully.”
Two Americans were also charged in the case. Ronald James Hendron and Jehmin Lah, both of California, were arrested in New York on March 11.
Polish newspapers said the sting started more than a year ago. But the arrests caught Polish officials by surprise and the Polish Embassy in Bonn has protested the failure of German authorities to inform Poland, the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper reported.
Stanislaw Bijak, Polish consul in Germany, was quoted as saying he suspected the case was “a misunderstanding.”
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