Members of the special forces of the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police arrested two crew members onboard the trawler Polar Nanoq from Greenland around noon today, RÚV reports. Chief Superintendent Grímur Grímsson sent out a press release at 6:21 pm. The men who were arrested are suspected of having information relating to the disappearance of Birna Brjánsdóttir, the 20-year-old Icelandic woman who has been missing since Saturday morning.
Grímur was interviewed on the RÚV TV evening news at 7 pm.
He explained that yesterday, four police officers flew by helicopter toward the Danish frigate Triton, which at the request of the Icelandic police had followed the trawler toward Greenland and ordered it to turn around. Triton reached the trawler at 6 am.
It was decided not to board the trawler until later, when Polar Nanoq was located 90 miles southwest of the country. After a one and a half hour flight onboard the Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter today, members of the special forces boarded the trawler around noon and took over control of the vessel.
The operation went well and the crew members showed no resistance. Two men were arrested, both of whom are from Greenland. They will be questioned when the ship comes to harbor in Hafnarfjörður after midnight, at which time the ship will be searched. Triton will reach harbor at the same time.
The operation was directed by the Reykjavík Metropolitan Police, the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police and the Icelandic Coast Guard control center.
Birna is not believed to have ever boarded the trawler, and Grímur admitted that the police do not yet know where she is to be found.
Examination of the red Kia Rio, rented by the crew members, is ongoing.
