Zimbabwe seized a U.S.-registered cargo plane Monday after learning it held 64 suspected mercenaries and a cargo of military material, according to CNN.com.
Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi said in a statement the plane was a U.S.-registered Boeing 727-100 and was detained at Harare International Airport around 12:30 a.m. eastern time Monday after owners made a false declaration of the crew and cargo.
A State Department spokesperson told CNN the aircraft had no connection to the U.S. government.
According to CNN, Mohadi said there are continuing investigations to discover the identities of the men and the reasons for their mission. There is no information on where the airplane arrived from or what its exact destination was.
U.S. aviation records list the plane's owner as Dodson Aviation, a Kansas-based company. However, the company's spokesperson Butch Holtgrieve said they recently sold the plane to a South African company.
The State Department does not know if any of the 64 suspected mercenaries being held are Americans.
Zimbabwe's Home Affairs Ministry told CNN the aircraft's cargo included an inflatable dinghy, portable radios, camouflage uniforms and tools. There was no indication the plane carried any weapons.
The United States and Great Britain have recently criticized Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe for a political crackdown after his victory in the allegedly flawed 2002 presidential elections.
Earlier this month, Washington imposed new targeted sanctions on several companies owned by members of the Zimbabwe government, after accusing the country of repressing its citizens and showing disregard for human rights and the law.
