Around the World: Russia

Freighter 'hijackers' seized

Russia's navy arrested eight men accused of hijacking the Arctic Sea freighter near Sweden and forcing the crew to sail to West Africa, the defense minister said yesterday.

The motive for seizing the aging freighter and its haul of timber remained unclear. Security and maritime experts said details of the Arctic Sea's mysterious four-week journey pointed to something other than piracy, with some suggesting state involvement and a possible secret cargo. The Russian naval vessel reached the Russian-crewed freighter on Monday off Cape Verde, thousands of km from the Algerian port where it was supposed to dock two weeks ago.