Finland's National Bureau of Investigation has concluded its criminal investigation into the damage to two undersea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 31st last year, identifying four suspects and referring the case to prosecutors for a decision on charges, according to a police statement. Investigators say the cargo ship Fitburg dragged its anchor across the seabed for several kilometers and severed cables owned by Finnish operators Elisa and Arelion Finland while sailing from St. Petersburg to the Israeli port of Haifa.
The 132-meter Fitburg, flagged in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was seized on New Year's Eve and held until mid-January while a joint Finnish and Estonian investigation team examined the vessel, the damage site, and devices belonging to crew members. The ship's 14 crew came from Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.
