Russian captain among 2 crew found guilty by Finnish court of damaging Baltic cables
HELSINKI (AP) , A Finnish court on Thursday convicted the captain and another crew member of a cargo ship of damaging undersea telecommunications cables in t...
HELSINKI (AP) , A Finnish court on Thursday convicted the captain and another crew member of a cargo ship of damaging undersea telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea late last year.
The Helsinki District Court found the two guilty of aggravated sabotage and gave them prison sentences. The captain was sentenced to three years and six months, and the boatswain to two years and 10 months. National broadcaster Yle reported that the captain is Russian and the boatswain Azerbaijani.
The court also ordered them to pay compensation for the costs of examining and repairing the cables.
The ship, the Fitburg, was flagged in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and was sailing from Russia to Israel when the incident occurred on Dec. 31. It was subsequently seized and inspected. Police said at the time that the ship had been dragging its anchor for hours when it was discovered in Finland's exclusive economic zone.
Wire Provenance & Verification
Editorial brief compiled from certified Associated Press wire reporting via Newsmotion News Desk.
