Sri Lanka extends detention of five Indians

Five Indians were arrested allegedly with tens of thousands of detonators that authorities believe were intended for Tamil Tiger rebels.

A Sri Lankan judge on Saturday extended the detention of five Indians seized by Sri Lanka's navy, allegedly with tens of thousands of detonators that authorities believe were intended for Tamil Tiger rebels.

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Magistrate S Balasubramanium said he ordered the men held in prison until February 10 pending further investigations.

The navy said it seized on Wednesday a privately owned Indian vessel attempting to smuggle more than 60,000 detonators for anti-personnel mines.

The five people aboard, who were all Indian citizens, were detained after the navy seized the craft off a Tiger-controlled area of northern Sri Lanka, navy spokesman Commander DKP Dassanayake said.

Vessel captain Reegan Raj said while in custody that he received the detonators from a Tamil-speaking Indian man in Rameshwaram.

"I was told by this gentleman to take this and when we reach a particular destination, give particular light signals and people will come by boats and pick them up," Raj said, without saying for whom the shipment was intended.