Italian police uncover weapons smuggling ring linked to Libya, Iraq

[maddezmom]

ROME (CNN) -- Italian authorities announced Tuesday they have uncovered an arms smuggling ring in which more than 500,000 weapons and ammunition from Russia and China were going to be funneled to Iraq and Libya.

Italian military police arrested four people across Italy on Monday in connection with the arms smuggling ring, which police stumbled upon while investigating a drug ring in the central town of Terni, Lt. Col. Rocco Amoruso said. Twelve others were arrested in connection with the drug ring.

Among the four arrested was an Italian businessman with a company in Malta, a small island nation south of Sicily where police believe the weapons would be transferred before reaching their final destinations.

According to Amoruso, the weapons deal to send arms from China to Libya was in an advanced stage, and six AK47 assault rifles had already been sent to the north African country as samples.

more:http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/13/tuesday/index.html

[youngdem]

1. Ooooh, six whole guns...They really could use more guns over there...

:eyes:

The propaganda department should pick up a gun. Those guys are the hardest working department in the whole pentagon. If they were fighting, we'd be home by now :sarcasm:


I wonder how this will be spun, since we already supposedly kowtowed Libya into compliance with our shockandawe ?!

[LynnTheDem]

2. So when's bush invading China?

Good luck with that, George.

[maddezmom]

3. don't forget about Russia

looks like they're involved as well. :D

[pinniped]

4. F this propaganda.

Libya has been reformed and no longer participates in acts of terrrrrrrrrrrrrra.

I saw it on the TV!

[global1]

5. Isn't * Taking Credit For Reforming Libya? So This Story Has To...

be quashed right now or it will effect his legacy.

[Demlobos06]

6. Maltese company implicated in arms trafficking to Iraqi insurgents

13 February 2007 | 13:44 | FOCUS News Agency



Valletta.Italian authorities yesterday announced they had interrupted an international arms trafficking deal that was to have operated between China, Malta, Italy and Libya, and which planned to supply hundreds of thousands of weapons to Iraqi insurgents, international media reported yesterday. The operation was to have seen an unnamed Maltese company acting as a middleman between Chinese weapons producers and Libyan buyers, who would, in turn, move the weapons on to Iraqi insurgents, according to coded emails recovered by Italian agents.
Source: Malta Independent

[proReality]

7. Welcome to DU

It's always best to add a link to the items you post. I think this might be it: http://www.focus-fen.net/ The article is about midway down on the right.

[Richard Steele]

8. So, are we gonna attack CHINA for selling weapons to Iraqi insurgents?

Or is that only a problem when Iran does it?

Somehow, I suspect that the Administration screaming loudly
over ridiculously flimsy "evidence" of Iranian involvement
isn't going to make a PEEP about REAL evidence of Chinese
arms sales.

[underpants]

9. Is Anna Nicole Smith providing weapons from beyond the grave?

Pentagon officials say they "aren't sure but are looking into it"

:eyes:

The Pentagon's credibility at this point is ZERO

[Ian David]

10. No, because if we attack China, they'll close the factories that make the yellow ribbons.

And then they'll have to drown all those unemployed children of political dissidents in a river.

[Javaman]

11. Sounds like someone was cutting into someones weapons business nt