North Korea, Cuba linked to weapons found on ship

North Korea, Cuba linked to weapons found on ship
By Castalia Pascual and David Simpson, CNN
July 16, 2013 -- Updated 1406 GMT (2206 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Officials: A search finds military equipment hidden among brown sugar
The crew resists arrest, a minister says
The captain suffered a heart attack, then tried to commit suicide

(CNN) -- A mystery with potential international ramifications is
unfolding in Panama, where authorities discovered military equipment
hidden inside a North Korean-flagged ship that originated in Cuba.
Cuba has long been at odds with the United States, and North Korea is
banned by the United Nations from importing and exporting most weapons
because of its nuclear ambitions. Suspicions were further raised when
the ship's captain suffered an apparent heart attack, and then tried to
commit suicide, Panama's president said.
These facts were sufficiently intriguing for President Ricardo
Martinelli to travel to the port and examine the ship himself.
The president tweeted a photo of what he saw -- a green octagon-shaped
tube with a cone at its end and another similar-looking piece of
equipment behind it.
Is it a missile, a reported asked?
"Maybe," Martinelli said. "I am not familiar with that, but it would be
good if such things didn't pass through Panama, which is a country that
loves peace and not war."

The president said he did not examine all of the containers, but assumes
that there are similar weapons in the others, hidden under a cargo of
brown sugar.
Authorities seized the vessel and the undeclared haul of weaponry in the
Panamanian port of Manzanillo on Monday night.
Panama's security minister, Jose Raul Mulino, told CNN the ship had
arrived from Cuba.
Panamanian authorities received intelligence the ship was carrying
drugs, but the search turned up the military equipment instead.
Mulino added that the North Korean crew of 35 resisted arrest, and
during the struggle with Panamanian authorities, the ship's captain
attempted to commit suicide.
Panama will ask a United Nations technical support team to inspect the
cargo to determine what type of weaponry it is.
"Honestly, this kind of military equipment can't go through the country
while declaring that it is something else, especially hiding it as you
can see here," Martinelli said. "We will continue to empty the entire
ship to see what's in it and the relevant authorities will determine
what exactly is on this ship."

Source: "North Korea, Cuba linked to weapons found on ship - CNN.com" -
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/16/world/panama-north-korean-ship/