Bizarre submersible found floating off New York: reports

New York authorities were questioning three men found in a bizarre submersible vessel floating just off Manhattan on Friday, according to local reports.

The men were discovered early Friday near the cruise terminal in Brooklyn where the massive ocean liner The Queen Mary II is moored, ABC television reported on its website.

When asked about the incident, a police spokeswoman declined to confirm the report or provide any further information, saying only that officers were at the scene.

What the three men were doing in the vessel -- which appeared to be spherical with a circular hatch on top -- was not immediately clear.

According to ABC, there was no indication that the discovery was terror-related -- a constant fear in New York following the September 11 Al-Qaeda attacks on New York.

ABC's radio affiliate WABC reported that the vessel was equipped with oxygen tanks. AFP
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