"Not by Strength; by Guile"

British special forces boarded a Greek-operated oil tanker in the English channel on Sunday and detained seven suspected stowaways who had threatened the crew, Isle of Wight radio and police said.

Police requested military assistance and a three-mile exclusion zone had been placed around the vessel, the Nave Andromeda, currently near the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England.

“Isle of Wight Radio understands that seven suspects have been detained onboard the Nave Andromeda,” the station reported. “Special forces from Poole have been involved.”

The Special Boat Service, a naval special forces unit that works closely with the Special Air Service (SAS), is based in Poole in southern England.

A spokesman for the Defence Ministry declined to comment on the report.

It was not immediately clear where the suspected stowaways were from or what their intentions were.