(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Italian authorities have seized a Chinese-made military drone, believed to be a “Wing Loong II,” which was being smuggled to Libya disguised as wind turbine components.
The drone was confiscated due to Libya’s military embargo imposed by the United Nations (UN).
According to local media reports, European authorities discovered two containers filled with various components capable of assembling two Chinese-made military drones.
These were concealed within two cargo ships docked at the Port of Gioia Tauro in Italy.
Authorities managed to seize the containers before they could be transferred to another ship bound for an undisclosed port in Libya.
“The drone components were hidden among composite materials for wind turbine replicas to avoid detection by authorities,” stated customs and tax police officials in a press release.
One of the drones seized by Italian authorities featured the slogan “The Energy Saving World” on its side.
Sources cited by local media indicated that the military drones and components were headed to Benghazi to fulfill an order from General Khalifa Haftar, a warlord controlling eastern Libya.
The United States authorities tracked the cargo ship carrying the Chinese-made drones and alerted Italian authorities, who subsequently seized the military equipment.
The military embargo on Libya aims to prevent any arms shipments to the North African country since the fall of its former leader, Colonel Moammar Gaddafi, in 2011.
Each drone seized measures 10 meters (33 feet) in length with a wingspan of about 20 meters.
Weighing three tons, the drones can carry various sophisticated sensors and equipment, as well as multiple weapons, including anti-tank missiles.
In 2020, when Haftar attempted to capture Tripoli and take over western Libya from the UN-backed administration, he was supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which supplied him with Chinese-made drones.
Analysts claim that the UAE was involved in an incident that resulted in the death of 26 military cadets at a military academy in Tripoli, though the Abu Dhabi government has denied these allegations.
The seizure of the suspected “Wing Loong II” drones at an Italian port follows another operation by Canadian authorities last April, where two Libyan nationals residing in North America were involved in an attempt to purchase Chinese drones in exchange for Libyan crude oil.
The two Libyans, Fathi Ben Ahmed Mhaouek and Mahmud Mohamed Elsuwaye Sayeh, were former employees of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN agency based in Montreal, Canada.
Analysts have previously noted that General Haftar was once funded by the CIA before his relationship with the U.S. intelligence agency soured, prompting him to align with Russia.
This shift allowed Moscow to send arms shipments to Haftar-controlled ports in Tobruk, eastern Libya, to expand its influence in Africa. — DSA