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Britain Seizes $160 Million in Libyan Currency from Ship

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Last updated on: March 03, 2011 7:00 PM

Britain has seized about $160 million in Libyan currency from a ship that turned back from a planned trip to Libya.

British officials say the ship returned to Britain Wednesday and was escorted into the port of Harwich by a British Border Agency vessel.

Officials say a number of containers were moved from the ship to a secure location.

The nationality and ownership of the ship are unclear.

It had been heading to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, but did not end up docking there because of the unrest in the country.

The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on Libya in response to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's violent crackdown on anti-government protests. The measures include a travel ban and an assets freeze.

Britain announced earlier this week that it was freezing Ghadhafi and his children's British-based assets, in line with the U.N. sanctions.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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