BANGKOK, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Cargo from a North Korean plane impounded by Bangkok officials may have contained weapons destined for Iran, arms experts claim.
Thai police seized a plane and detained its five-member crew during a Dec. 11 refueling stop in Bangkok. Researchers at Chicago's TransArms and Belgium's International Peace Information Service said the flight plan for the seized Ilyushin-76 indicates the aircraft was due to make several stops in Central Asia and the Middle East before unloading in Tehran, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The crew told Thai officials they believed they were carrying spare equipment for the oil sector.
Thai authorities, however, said the plane was carrying around 35 tons of weapons.
North Korean links to Iranian military activity are not uncommon. The U.S. Congressional Research Service said in a report released in October that Iran is one of the biggest customers for North Korean arms, acting as a possible go-between for Syria's arsenal.
In August, the United Arab Emirates seized a ship carrying what Western officials said were North Korean arms to Iran.
The Bahamian-flagged ANL-Australia was carrying 10 containers of weapons and other related items, including rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition.
Iranian officials were thought to be on hand when North Korea tested a nuclear device in May and a long-range missile in April.
