By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 1 July:
Egypt has seized a large consignment of Grad rockets and warheads believed to have been smuggled from . . .[restrict]Libya, it has been reported.
Egyptian newspapers have claimed that the shipment, which includes 138 Grad rockets and a further 139 warheads, could have been on their way to the Gaza Strip.
It is believed the weapons were originally manufactured in Marsa Matruh, an Egptian port town little more than 200km from the Libyan border, but were subsequently sent to Libya. It is not known whether this original transfer to Libya took place during or after the revolution.
According to AFP, Egypt’s interior ministry has said police are searching for two men suspected of trafficking weapons “to the Sinai Peninsula or towards Palestine”.
This is not the first time weapons from Libya have been intercepted whilst potentially on their way to Gaza. On 20 May, it was reported that Egyptian security forces had intercepted a huge shipment of arms said to have been smuggled out of Libya, including 120 surface-to-air missiles, 30 ground-to-ground missiles, 15 Grad rockets, 25 anti-tank grenade launchers, TNT and navigation systems.
This shipment was discovered in three trucks also near Marsa Matruh.
On 12 May, Egyptian authorities announced they had intercepted a shipment of weapons including included 50 missiles, a mortar, seven machine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Yet again, the weapons were found near Marsa Matruh, believed to be on their way to Gaza. [/restrict]
