US refuses to comment about India detaining North Korean ship

Washington, Aug 14 (ANI): The Coordinator for Implementation of UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1874, Ambassador Philip Goldberg said on Friday that New Delhi might have acted under international and domestic law in detaining the North Korean ship MV Mu San.

Goldberg was speaking with reporters at a special State Department briefing.

"We've gotten some of the facts in the case, a North Korean ship anchored in Indian territorial waters without notification, without permission. When it was approached, it didn't answer. It was acting suspiciously," Goldberg said.

"The fact is that the Indian Government might have been acted under International Law or their own domestic laws, Goldberg said.

The Indian Coast Guard detained the North Korean vessel that dropped anchor at Hut Bay on August 6 without the permission of Indian authorities after a six-hour chase.

On Wednesday, the seized North Korean ship MV Mu San was brought to Kakinada port in Andhra Pradesh where central security agencies and nuclear scientists will carry out an extensive search of the vessel.

The presence of a North Korean Government official in a merchant ship has raised suspicions about the vessel.

North Korea has been accused of transporting nuclear components in the past to Pakistan and Iran. (ANI)