Four men were charged in federal court Thursday in connection with the deaths of two Navy SEALs in the Arabian Sea in January, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

Muhammad Palawan, Mohammad Mazar, Ghufran Ullah, and Izhar Muhammad were Naval Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers and Naval Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram on January 11. has been charged in federal court in connection with the incident that took place on board the ship.Ministry of Justice says Iranian weapons seized in Arabian Sea release. Ingram and Chambers were declared dead by the U.S. Navy on January 22. (Related: 'It's been too long': Republicans and former Trump officials slam Biden after attacks in Iraq and Syria)

BREAKING: Four foreign nationals suspected of transporting Iranian weapons on a ship that two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned while trying to board have been brought to the United States to face criminal charges, the Justice Department announced. pic.twitter.com/fhjP0r7a9p

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEEveningNews) February 22, 2024

According to reports, Chambers and Gage were involved in a mission to steal ballistic missile parts from a dhow (a cargo ship commonly used in the Middle East) leaving an Iranian port. court documents. SEALs operated from the U.S.S. Lewis B. Pulleran expeditionary support vessel based in the region with the U.S. Coast Guard's Maritime Security Team (MSST).

“During the search of the dhow, the boarding team ultimately discovered and seized what appeared to be advanced conventional Iranian weapons,” FBI Special Agent Patrick Francisco said in a Justice Department filing. said. “Preliminary analysis of advanced conventional weapons reveals that they contain critical components for medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), such as warheads and propulsion and guidance components. did.”

Francisco said Palawan, Mazar, Ullah and Muhammad all made false statements during MSST questioning. All four were charged with making false statements to federal law enforcement officers, and Palawan was also charged with transporting explosives as captain of a dhow.

“The Navy discovered advanced conventional weapons, suspected to be of Iranian origin, packaged without markings, labels or identifying information in a compartment near the front of the dhow,” Francisco said in the filing. ” he said.

“Most or all of the weapons were hidden inside the tubes or between the buoys,” Francisco added.

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