Italy seizes military drones made in China that were headed to Libya

Italian authorities have intercepted and seized two Chinese-made military drones that were destined for Libya and disguised as equipment for wind turbines.

This was reported by the Italian customs police and customs agency, Reuters reports.

The disassembled drones were found in six containers in the port of Gioia Tauro, in the southern region of Calabria. They were hidden among replicas of wind turbine blades, the agencies said in a joint statement.

According to customs officials, they were confiscated because Libya is subject to an international arms embargo.

This was preceded by information from the Italian edition of Corriere della Sera about the interception of drones in Joya Tauro on June 18 after the relevant data was shared by US intelligence.

According to the newspaper, the materials were seized from a container ship sailing from the southern Chinese port of Yantian to Benghazi, a port in eastern Libya controlled by military commander Khalifa Haftar, who is supported in particular by Russia.

Author - Olena Madiak, 02/07/2024