Canadians investigating the 76 Sri Lankans aboard a ship seized off Vancouver Island told an immigration hearing on Monday (Oct 2) that two items of clothing the men brought with them had tested positive for explosive residue.

They also said that there had been an attempt to disguise the ship’s identity and that the vessel actually belonged to the LTTE, a terrorist organization proscribed by the Canadian government, according to agency reports.

The ship carrying the men was seized Oct. 17 after Australian intelligence officials had tipped off Canadian authorities about its impending arrival.

Sri Lanka has sought access to the group though the Canadians were yet to respond positively.

Only one of the 76 migrants, believed to be a minor, has been released. The 75 others remain in custody in Vancouver. The Sri Lankan Defence Ministry said that Canada could not conduct a thorough inquiry without involving Sri Lankan intelligence services.

The two clothing items, which were not identified, tested positive for explosives residue from pentaerythritol tetranitrate, or PETN, and TNT. Lawyers for the men said that PETN is also used in heart medication.

When the ship was seized, it bore the name Ocean Lady, but investigators say that the vessel is actually the Princess Easwary, owned by the Tamil Tigers and once used to transport arms for the Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka.

A transponder that was found aboard was not turned on because it would have revealed the ship’s real identity, investigators said.

The federal government has detained the new arrivals because their identity has been difficult to establish with certainty, although the men did carry identification papers.

One of the migrants has been found to be the subject of an Interpol arrest warrant prompted by his membership in the Tamil Tigers.

Investigators are trying to determine if the other men have similar connections.

It will be up to an immigration adjudicator to assess whether the new evidence that has surfaced is sufficient to hold the men on security grounds.