Latvian police and customs officers have seized 28 tonnes of military hardware labelled as farm machinery and ready to be smuggled to Iran.
| "Yep. Hit a coupla hectares with a half dozen o' them 152mm HE rounds and they're all plowed up..." |
The $500,000 shipment contained spare parts for tanks, night-vision instruments and armament parts, including anti-aircraft systems, a police official said, adding military experts were still investigating the contents of the shipment. âAfter receiving information about the cargo, security police in cooperation with customs seized the cargo bound for Tehran in Iran,â Assistant Security Police Chief Kristine Apse told Reuters. âIt was then discovered that the cargo consisted of goods for military purposes.â Apse said military experts believe the cargo was equipment earlier used by Russia that was still in working order and sent to Latvia by a Russian company. Apse said the cargo was more likely to be destined for guerrilla organisations rather Iranâs regular military forces.
The United States accuses Tehran of arming and training militant Islamic groups across the Middle East. Iran strongly denies the charges and insists it offers only moral support. |