Mines discovered on gas carrier arriving from Belgium, Russia says VIDEO

Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation announced that it had prevented what authorities described as a planned terrorist attack involving a gas carrier that arrived in Russia from Belgium.

The vessel, identified as Arrhenius, arrived at the port of Ust-Luga on May 20 and was scheduled to depart for the Turkish port of Samsun following unloading operations.

Russian authorities said the operation to secure the vessel was conducted jointly by the FSB, the Investigative Committee of Russia, the Russian Defence Ministry, and Rosgvardiya.

According to investigators, an underwater inspection of the gas carrier uncovered “explosive devices manufactured in the form of naval magnetic mines.” Officials stated that the devices were believed to have been produced in one of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states using industrially manufactured components.

Investigators said each explosive device contained approximately seven kilograms of plastic explosive material.

“Before unloading at the Belgian port of Antwerp, the vessel was sent by the shipping agent to an anchorage area, where it remained for about a day and a half, allegedly due to a strike by port workers,” the vessel’s captain said.

Specialists involved in the investigation concluded that the mines could not have been attached to the ship within Russian territorial waters.

Russian authorities have opened a criminal investigation on charges of attempted terrorism and illegal trafficking of explosive devices. Law enforcement agencies said efforts are continuing to identify and locate all individuals allegedly involved in the incident.

By Vafa Guliyeva