North Korean ship with 'military cargo' held by Panama

President Ricardo Martinelli told local media that the ship, which was sailing from Cuba, contained suspected "sophisticated missile equipment".

He posted a photo of what looked like a large green object inside a cargo container on his Twitter account.

He said the ship, which was searched as it passed through the Panama Canal, was being held for further investigation.

Under UN sanctions, North Korea is banned from weapons exports and the import of all but small arms.

Sanctions were strengthened after its third nuclear test on 12 February, including measures increasing states' authority to inspect suspicious cargo.

The ship was stopped near Manzanillo on the Atlantic side of the canal.

Mr Martinelli said the authorities were checking the ship for drugs when they found the suspected weapons in containers of brown sugar.

"We're going to keep unloading the ship and figure out exactly what was inside," he told local media.

The crew have been detained, including the captain who the Panamanian president said tried to kill himself during the search.