Paper Says Turk Helped Finance Al Qaeda Ships

A fleet of 23 ships controlled by Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist network was partly masterminded by a Turkish businessman with funding out of Germany, according to an article to appear in London in today’s shipping paper Lloyd’s List.

“Western security services led by Norwegian intelligence have established a list of 23 vessels owned or controlled by associates of Bin Laden,” said the article obtained by Reuters before publication.

“So far, the names remain classified. But market sources are pointing a finger at one individual in Turkey known to have sympathies with Islamic fundamentalism. The man operates around six vessels through a number of single ship companies.”