2 Wing Loong II UAVs, 2 ground control stations and 6 containers full of weapons, which were shipped to Libya under the cover of wind turbine parts, were seized by Italian authorities. The equipment was seized within the scope of the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations on Libya.
Italian police unit Guardia di Finanza confirmed in a statement on July 2 that the containers were inspected at Italy's Gioia Tuaro Port on June 18. The statement stated that the containers were deemed suspicious after examining their shipping routes and "abnormalities in the accompanying customs documents."
In the statement, “These containers were supposed to carry the parts necessary for the assembly of wind energy generators. After an He found that it had elements and structural details that suggested that airworthy aircraft might have fuselages and wings.
These components were hidden between some composite skins that mimic wind turbine blades. "The equipment was seized in line with the arms embargo imposed on Libya." statements were included.
The suspicious containers were on the MSC Arina ship, which was heading from China's Yantian port to Benghazi, which is controlled by the Libyan group under the command of Haftar.
Italian authorities reportedly received intelligence from the United States about the suspicious arms shipment.