Panama: North Korea Ship 'Smuggling Missiles'

Panama has stopped a North Korean ship which it claims was trying to illegally sneak sophisticated missiles through the Panama Canal.

Panamanian authorities boarded the ship suspecting it was carrying drugs, however, when they searched it they discovered "undeclared weapons of war" among a shipment of brown sugar, according to Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli.

The North Korean captain attempted to kill himself and violence broke out among the 35-strong crew as the ship was raided, according to Mr Martinelli.

The president posted a photograph of the cargo on his Twitter account and said: "The world needs to sit up and take note: you cannot go around shipping undeclared weapons of war through the Panama Canal.

He told Radio Panama: "We had suspected this ship, which was coming from Cuba and headed to North Korea, might have drugs aboard so it was brought into port for search and inspection.

"When we started to unload the shipment of sugar we located containers that we believe to be sophisticated missile equipment, and that is not allowed."

Leader Kim Jong-Un has threatened to use missiles to attack the US

The ship is currently being held by the Panama authorities, but North Korea is yet to respond to its seizure.

Previously though, the government in Pyongyang has branded such seizures as a 'double standard'. North Korea believes it has the right to ship weapons in the same way that most other countries do on a regular basis.

A source, familiar with North Korea's defence capability, speaking to Sky News said he believed the photo showed an anti-ship missile.

North Korea is banned, under several United Nations resolutions, from importing and exporting all weapons with the exception of small arms.

The UN has said the ban will remain in place until Pyongyang shuts down its nuclear weapons programme.

However, there is no suggestion that the weapons seized in Panama have any nuclear capability.

North Korea defiantly carried out its third nuclear weapons test in February and threatened to attack the United States in the most aggressive act yet by the leader Kim Jong-Un.

It led to banking sanctions being imposed by Washington on Pyongyang.

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