Towboat that set off from Cyprus seized in Crete on suspicion of carrying explosives

A towboat that set off from a Cypriot port en route to Spain was stopped by Greek authorities off the island of Crete after a tip off that it was carrying explosives it was reported on Friday.

According to media reports, the vessel, that set off from Larnaca and was heading to the Spanish port of Tarragona, was stopped by Greek authorities on Friday morning off Crete.

Greek authorities had been reportedly alerted of a 30-metre vessel carrying suspicious cargo and after launching an operation, they stopped the towboat 40 nautical miles south of the Ierapetra area, off Crete.

The towboat was seized and five crew members were arrested reports said, after suspicion that the vessel carried explosions.

Cretalive news portal had reported that authorities had not located anything yet on the boat, but that investigations were continuing.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.