Britain Seizes Ship in Terror Scare
British anti-terrorist police boarded a London-bound cargo ship off the southern coast of England on Friday in a major security alert that yielded nothing suspicious after a full day’s search.
The dramatic dawn operation came after intelligence that the ship, which set sail from Africa, was carrying terrorist material, Scotland Yard said.
“A full security search of the vessel has been completed, and no noxious or dangerous substances have been found aboard the vessel. At this stage it is not possible to say how much longer officers will remain aboard the ship,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
The vessel was being taken to a mooring near the Isle of Wight, off England’s southern coast, for a more thorough search, he said.
Prime Minister Tony Blair said authorities would not hesitate to take such action again, even if security services found nothing.
“Even if it is from an excess of caution that we act, I think it is important that we do so,” Blair told a news conference.
The Nisha, which set sail from Mauritius off eastern Africa on Nov. 20 carrying sugar, was intercepted by the heavily armed frigate Sutherland.
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