Threats to US ships in the Strait of Hormuz heard at the end of a Pentagon-released recording of an incident between Iranian patrol boats and US Navy warships last week may have been the work of a local heckler known as the "Filipino Monkey." Pentagon officials had previously stated that the voice came from one of the boats, but they are now distancing themselves from that claim, saying instead that they do not know the source of the transmission.

A video and audio of the Jan. 6 incident in the Strait of Hormuz featured a man in accented English saying "I am coming to you. ... You will explode after ... minutes."

"Filipino Monkey" is believed to be more than one person. Its goal is to listen in to ship-to-ship radio traffic before jumping in with insults and threats. According to a retired Navy captain, "For 25 years there's been this mythical guy out there who, hour after hour, shouts obscenities and threats. He could be tied up pierside somewhere or he could be on the bridge of a merchant ship."

Source: Yahoo News