The fires set on the MSC Canberra off Haifa reportedly were not the work of a terrorist.
Israeli publications said a Turkish stowaway on an MSC containership set fires on the vessel while it was anchored outside of Haifa on Sunday.
The Jerusalem Post said 13 members of Israel’s navy stormed the MSC Canberra and arrested a stowaway. It added the man was handed over to police.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said, “Israel decided on Monday to deport a Turkish national suspected of setting fire to a cargo ship near the Haifa port back to his home country, the Interior Ministry said, noting this is not the first time the suspect is being returned to Turkey after attempting to enter Israel.”
The Jerusalem Post said, “While further details of the incident were barred from publication, it is believed to be criminal” and not terror related.
Reports did not say how much damage was caused by the fires or how long it took for them to be extinguished.
“No casualties have been reported and the extent of damage caused to the vessel remains unclear,” Haaretz said.
