Anti-terrorist officers are continuing to search a cargo ship intercepted in the English Channel yesterday in what Scotland Yard described as a "major security operation".
Security sources said they were acting on intelligence that the vessel was carrying "terrorist material", although no material has been found so far. Detailed searches are continuing, Scotland Yard said.
The ship was intercepted at 8 a.m. in international waters off the Sussex coast. Dramatic TV film of the interception of the MV Nisha showed the Royal Navy frigate HMS Sutherland trailing the ship.
Four rigid-inflatable boats then went after the merchant vessel, zipping across the waves until they pulled level on the starboard side. The ship was taken to Sandown Bay, off the Isle of Wight, where it is being moored until searches have been completed, Scotland Yard said.