Did Pirates Capture Nukes or Did Fox News Walk the Plank?

Did pirates uncover illicit nuclear material being shipped by Iran to Islamic Extremists in Africa? Fox News is reporting the story, but the evidence appears shaky.

Fox News is the only major news outlet to pick up a story that has been appearing on blogs and online sources for the last week or so. Fox News quotes the Long War Journal in reporting a story that Somali Pirates, after capturing an Iranian chartered vessel, have fallen ill and even died from symptoms remarkably similar to radiation poisoning. Did the pirates uncover illicit nuclear material being shipped by Iran to Islamic Extremists in Africa? Somali Pirates Dying of Radiation Poisoning? The story is that Somali pirates captured an Iranian vessel and were reportedly paid a ransom for its release. While on board the vessel, the pirates investigated the cargo trying to ascertain its value. Those that went into the hold and checked the cargo containers have fallen ill and a number have died. Before dying they exhibited symptoms associated with radiation poisoning, such as their hair falling out and severe skin burns. As near as I can tell from lengthy web research, the story was originally reported by thetimes.co.za on September 28th. Furthermore, that original story is no longer available online from Thetimes.co. The page can still be viewed here, as Google still has the cached version available. US State Department has no Knowledge The original story quotes a legitimate source, Andrew Mwangura, the director of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme in Somalia, but Fox News quotes the US State Department spokesman Curtis Cooper as saying "I don't have any information on that case. We're aware that there are currently 12 other hijacked ships off the Somali coast.” So it seems unusual to this reporter that the State Department would be aware of 12 hijacked vessels but have no knowledge of the hijacking of a vessel operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line. The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line’s actions, says Stuart Levey, Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, “are part of a broader pattern of deception and fabrication that Iran uses to advance its nuclear and missile programs.” Yet, the state department has no knowledge of the vessel’s capture and of the death of pirates who investigated the cargo containers aboard the ship from symptoms that appear to be radiation poisoning. Fox News Relying on Unreliable Sources It’s certainly possible that the State Department spokesman isn’t privy to the information on an Iranian ship which might be carrying nuclear materials. It’s possible that little known internet sources and a variety of blogs are the only ones other than Fox News to report this story. Think about it though, the headline is this: Iranian Vessel’s Nuclear Cargo Kills Pirates as Vessel Travels to Islamic African Nation. Yet no major news outlet, other than Fox News has touched the story. Even Fox News reports

"I'm not saying it's impossible that this has happened, but I'd take anything they say with a great deal of salt," said J. Peter Pham, director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University. "They have made fanciful claims before in the hopes of attracting U.S. and other international attention."

More Reliable Evidence Required So, this reporter is very skeptical about the veracity of this report. I think the possibility of nuclear materials being shipped by Iran and captured by pirates would have garnered much more interest from the mainstream media and that the US State Department would have heard by now with a full week having elapsed since the story first appeared. While it may make good fodder for anti-terrorist, hyper-patriotic blogs, I’m not buying it until there is some solid evidence.