Turkey Probes Report of Guns in Biscuit Boxes, Minister Says
Turkey has started an investigation into the reported discovery of hand guns in biscuit boxes sent by a Turkish firm to Yemen, Anatolia news agency said today, citing Customs and Trade Minister Hayati Yazici.
The investigation began after Yemen’s foreign ministry notified Turkey about the discovery, Anatolia said.
Yazici did not say how many guns were discovered, Anatolia said.
The boxes were loaded on a ship at the Mediterranean customs point of Mersin, the agency said. Yazici said the carrier was also a Turkish firm. He did not give names of the exporter and carrier companies.
Yazıcı said the ship was subject to customs control at Turkey's Mersin port and that the customs authorities were told that the ship's cargo consisted of biscuits and other food items. "That's the statement [given to the customs authorities]," he said, adding that it will be clear if the customs authorities are to blame for any oversight once the investigation is completed. Asked if this could mean there was a flaw in the customs procedure, Yazıcı said one cannot say there is no flaw if the ship was really carrying weapons.
Officials at the Foreign Ministry said the Yemeni authorities have not yet conveyed official information to Ankara regarding the reported arms shipment from Turkey. "We will look into the case once we have an official report from Yemen," an official said. The official emphasized that the cargo in question is not owned by a state institution, but by a private company.