Arrests Made By Ishukone Watch In Wake Of Tribunal Raid
Oimmo - In a number of early morning raids, Ishukone Watch tactical teams arrested more than 300 Ishukone personnel on charges of aiding piracy and corporate corruption throughout the Mito constellation. In addition, Watch officials report that 17 suspects were killed while resisting arrest in the operation, the culmination of a crackdown on Gurista infiltration of Ishukone offices in Mito.
Witnesses stated that Watch special forces executed arrest warrants in Ishukone enclaves in both Oimmo and Hakonen almost simultaneously; Watch fleet activity has also spiked in support of these operations. On at least one occasion, an Ishukone Watch troop transport ship was attacked by Gurista frigates as it attempted to dock at an Ishukone-run orbital resort in Oimmo. The frigates were destroyed by a pair of Watch Crow-class interceptors that arrived shortly thereafter.
Mito, which straddles high and low security regions of Lonetrek, has been a center of Gurista activity for a number of years. Captain Marko Sandan, leader of the operation, said that the Watch investigation had been ongoing for some time. "Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the Watch was forced to cut our surveillance short and move on the suspects with very little notice," he told reporters.
"Of the 351 suspects identified by the Watch investigation, less than fifty escaped our raids this morning," said Sandan. "Surveillance was temporarily interrupted shortly before the raid, allowing a few of the worst offenders to elude arrest, but we are continuing pursuit."
The Watch handed over their full report to the Tribunal as the operation began, followed by an abridged version to major media outlets after the arrests. Preliminary analysis shows that much of the activity the Directorate attributed to treasonous financial activity may have in fact been related to Gurista money laundering or other related criminal activities. Final determination from the Tribunal should be made within 48 hours.
