THREE CONTAINER loads of spare parts for Libyan military aircraft have been seized in northern Italy while being shipped to Tripoli in violation of United Nations (UN) sanctions.
Two containers of electronic components and parts were on a Libya-bound ship in the port of Genoa. A third was seized at Turin's Caselle Airport. Accompanying documentation describes the goods as shoes, car parts and electrical equipment.
The Italian customs service says that Italy was being used for transshipment and that the spares, including parts for Mikoyan fighter aircraft, had come from elsewhere in Europe. Reports cite investigators as believing that Canadian, UK and US companies had been the main suppliers. The Libyans are believed to have set up a series of "front" companies to funnel aerospace and military supplies to Tripoli.
The seizure of the aircraft spares followed an Italian secret-service surveillance operation.
Source: Flight International