A Russian-manned cargo ship captured by pirates might actually have been intercepted by the Israeli navy, a European Union expert on piracy issues and former commander of the Estonian armed forces told TIME Magazine. In an interview published Monday, Admiral Tarmo Kouts said that he rejected Russia’s official version that the ship’s cargo was merely holding lumber. “There is the idea that there were missiles aboard, and one can’t explain this situation in any other way. As a sailor with years of experience, I can tell you that the official versions are not realistic,” Kouts said, referring to last month’s interception of the Arctic Sea.
Russia’s official account states that the Russian ship flew the Maltese flag and carried lumber. The Arctic Sea was captured by pirates on July 24 and disappeared for several weeks until a Russian warship identified it near Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean off Africa’s western coast. Last week, Moscow accused eight men on the ship for piracy. The Russians claim that the men impersonated as police officers when they pirated the ship near the Swedish shore.