Thousands of illicit weapons seized from an unflagged ship are displayed on the rear deck of the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey on May 8, 2021.
(CNN) -
A joint US Navy and Coast Guard team seized thousands of illicit weapons last week after stopping a small ship in the Arabian North Sea, the US Navy said in a statement.
The warship USS Monterey stopped an unflagged dhow vessel on May 6 during a routine operation to verify its registration, the Navy said.
A US Coast Guard advanced interdiction team deployed to the Navy ship boarded the dhow and found the cache of weapons.
The huge loot of weapons covered much of the rear deck of the 567-foot (173-meter) American warship after it was transferred in what the Navy said was a two-day operation.
An SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey flies over an intercepted ship with a shipment of illicit weapons in international waters of the North Arabian Sea on May 6, 2021.
“The weapons cache included dozens of Russian-made advanced anti-tank guided missiles, thousands of Chinese Type 56 assault rifles, and hundreds of PKM machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
Other weapons components included advanced optical sights, ”the Navy statement said.
The US military was investigating the source and intended destination of the huge arms depot, which will remain in US custody, the Navy said.
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After the dhow was deemed seaworthy and its crew questioned, they were provided with food and water and released, according to the statement.
Confiscation