Russia says it has arrested eight people in connection with the hijacking of the merchant ship, Arctic Sea.

And Russia, whose navy tracked the ship to off the West African coast, has revealed those arrested include Estonians, Latvians and Russians. As the mystery deepens, British media speculation alleges Russia was using the vessel for a secret shipment and Western intelligence agencies tried to stop it. One leading Russian journalist, Mikhail Voitenko, said: “Somebody, somewhere, decided to stop some shipments. This is very odd. This is an inter-state affair. For the crew and the vessel, it was an accident. They are not to blame. They were not involved.” Russia strongly rejects allegations of a secret shipment. Other theories point to simple piracy or a commercial deal which went badly wrong. Whatever happened, a European Commission spokesman told a news briefing: “This is a unique case which could be made into a Hollywood movie.”More about: Russia

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