Arctic Sea hijacked by 8-Lithuania, Estonia, RF citizens
MOSCOW. August 18. KAZINFORM Navy men of the Ladny antisubmarine warfare ship released the Arctic Sea freighter without a single shot, Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Dmitry Medvedev, Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
According to the minister, 8 people who had seized the ship were arrested in the operation to release the vessel. "Eight people - not the crewmembers staying on it - were arrested," Serdyukov said. They are citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Russia.
"The investigation established that a speed inflatable boat with 4 citizens of Estonia, 2 Latvian citizens and 2 Russians on July 24 at 23:00, Moscow time, approached the Arctic Sea vessel in Swedish territorial waters. These people, saying that the boat went out of order, embarked the Arctic Sea and at gunpoint demanded from the crew to fully obey all their orders," said Serdyukov. After that the Arctic Sea ship was sailing on the route specified by the hijackers towards Africa switching off the navigation equipment, he noted.
The minister reported on the measures taken in connection with the Arctic Sea disappearance with Russian crew in accordance with earlier received instructions, Kazinform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com for full version.