News In Brief

Sweden steps up hunt for mystery submarine

Swedish naval and ground forces sealed off the port of Karlskrona to civilian sea traffic Tuesday and checked the identities of all people entering and leaving two inhabited islands. The action came on the 12th consecutive day of what is officially described as a search for ''foreign underwater activity.''

Suspicion that someone on shore might be helping the divers, or that the divers might have a hideout on dry land, could be behind the decision to seal off two islands in Karlskrona Harbor, Monitor contributor Juris Kaza reports.

Foreign military observers think Sweden may have detected a Soviet naval special forces operation. While such an operation might be just a training exercise, it could be aimed either at stealing or examining underwater sensors, the observers noted.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Navy said it was hunting for a suspected submarine in a fjord near Narvik, in the far north of Norway.