A North Korean cargo of gas masks and light arms was intercepted by Turkish authorities en-route to Syria in April, Japanese daily the Sankei Shimbun said on Tuesday.

The newspaper said that a Libyan-flagged vessel, the Al En Ti Sar, was stopped carrying firearms, large quantities of gas-masks, and ammunition on April 3 at the port of Dardanelles, in contravention of international sanctions prohibiting either North Korea or Syria from trading in arms.

The Sankei Shimbun said that U.S. military intelligence authorities had been monitoring the vessel, which subsequently tipped off Turkish authorities prior to its arrival at Dardanelles.

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