Counter-Terrorism: Operations in International Waters

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November 1, 2005: The U.S. Coast Guard (in cooperation with the U.S. Navy) has made it known that it will intercept and search suspect in the middle of the ocean, in international waters, if a terrorist threat is suspected. The United States wants maritime laws to be changed to reflect this, but apparently the policy is already in place, and ready for use if the need should arise. While such searches could cause a lot of diplomatic stink, counter-terrorism officials would apparently rather err on the side of preventing a terrorist attack via seaborne trade.