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RPGs fired at Cosco Asia when transiting the Suez Canal
A video of a failed terrorist attack on the Cosco Asia navigating the Suez Canal last week has emerged on You Tube.
The video, posted on Thursday (below), shows two men dressed in civilian clothes firing rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at the Panamanian-flagged vessel.
However, Reuters, who first caught site of the footage, have been unable to determine its authenticity, although the images appear to be consistent of the reported target of the attack. The video also carries the black Islamist flag and the name of the “al-Firqan Brigade”, yet like the attack, no one has stepped forward to claim responsibility.
According to Lloyd’s List Casualty reports, there were two explosions and a fire onboard that was extinguished when the vessel was surveyed after exiting the canal with the northbound convoy.
Speaking shortly after the attack, which occurred on August 31st, Mohab Memish, head of the Suez Canal Authority, said there were “terrorist elements” that had staged an unsuccessful attack “in an attempt to disrupt the flow of vessels through the waterway”. Meanwhile, an army source, told Reuters that three people had been arrested in connection with the attack, which he described as a “random operation that is not backed by an organisation.”
“The attempt failed completely and there were no damages reported to the vessel or to the containers it carried,” the source said.
“The situation was dealt with strictly by the armed forces,” adding that traffic was moving normally soon after.
Video courtesy of Reuters
