Turkey doubts plot in arms

ANKARA

Turkey is investigating the possibility of a plot behind the arms shipped from Yemen, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, with an examination launched following media reports suggesting that a cargo truck of 7,000 guns from Turkey was seized by Yemeni authorities on Dec. 13 in the western Red Sea port of al-Hodayda.

“Turkish authorities are taking into consideration all possibilities while making their multidimensional examinations on the shipping, route and real origin of arms allegedly sent from Turkey, including the presence of some circles that aim to negatively influence Turkish-Yemeni relations,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Selçuk Ünal said yesterday, highlighting that the transfer of arms were carried out without official permission.

The Turkish-made weapons were found concealed inside the truck’s frame and in boxes and plastic bags loaded among other goods on the truck, which was stopped in a coastal area about 30 kilometer east of al-Hodayda. Ünal stated that an arms export that might cause the death of more people in an already high-risk region could not be allowed. Similarly, on Nov. 3, Yemeni authorities seized non-civilian cargo in the southern port city of Aden.