Japanese tanker hit in Gulf

AN explosive-laden dinghy struck a Japanese oil tanker in the Persian Gulf last month, it was reported yesterday, the first official confirmation that the incident was an attack.

Earlier this week, Brigades of Abdullah Azzam, an obscure group linked to al-Qaeda, said one of its suicide bombers hit the tanker to avenge the plunder of Muslim wealth. If true, this would be the first time the terror network has attacked the Japanese.

Emirates' WAM news agency quoted an unnamed government official as saying investigations revealed traces of homemade explosives on the hull of the tanker. A crew member was injured and the vessel sustained a square-shaped dent on the rear side of the hull in the incident.