Washington, Oct 26 (ANI): A mysterious Libyan ship, reportedly carrying weapons and bound for Syrian rebels, may have some link to the terror attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, it has emerged.
The Libyan-flagged vessel Al Entisar, which means "The Victory," was received in the Turkish port of Iskenderun, near the Syrian border, on September 6, just five days before the attack on the US consulate.
On the night of September 11, slain US envoy Chris Stevens met with the Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akin.
Although what was discussed at the meeting is not public, a source told Fox News that Stevens was in Benghazi to negotiate a weapons transfer, an effort to get SA-7 missiles out of the hands of Libya-based extremists.
According to the report, a congressional source cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about the consulate attack and the movement of weapons from Libya to Syria via Turkey, noting they may in fact be two separate and distinct events.
But the source acknowledged the timing and the meeting between the Turkish diplomat and Stevens was "unusual," the report said.
According to an earlier report by the Times of London, Al Entisar was carrying 400 tons of cargo.
Some of it was humanitarian, but also reportedly weapons, described by the report as the largest consignment of weapons headed for Syria's rebels on the frontlines.
The cargo reportedly included surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles, RPG's and Russian-designed shoulder-launched missiles known as MANPADS, the report said. (ANI)