Israel Matzav

Gadhafi hid arms in Libyan embassies around the world

Former Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi hid weapons in Libyan embassies around the world.

The administration of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was running a covert program to conceal weapons in Libyan embassies across the globe, a senior official in the new government said on Thursday.

The weapons included handguns, grenades and bomb-making materials and were shipped using the diplomatic bag. They may have been intended for use in assassinations on Libyan dissidents abroad, or for operations against the embassies' host countries.

The scale of the scheme is emerging for the first time now as the leadership installed in last year's rebellion against Gaddafi takes over control of embassies and finds the arms, said Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Libya's deputy foreign minister.

Gaddafi's officials shipped weapons to "many countries. In Africa, in Asia, in Europe. So it's not only in two or three countries," Abdul Aziz told Reuters in an interview.

"Nobody knows what was the plan. Was it to address certain problems as far as the host country is concerned? Was it going to be used against Libyan nationals? Nobody knows," he said. "Honestly, everything is possible with the previous regime."

Asked if the weapons were concealed in Libyan embassies as part of a concerted operation conceived inside Gaddafi's administration, Abdul Aziz said: "I have no single doubt in my mind. No single doubt."

Read the whole thing.

Does anyone doubt that Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Venezuela and other rogue states do the same thing?

Labels: Libya, weapons smuggling

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:48 PM