Libyan authorities have arrested five people over a series of drone attacks targeting a major oil facility and other critical infrastructure in the country.
The government said the arrests had uncovered a “vast plot”, accusing the suspects of belonging to a sabotage cell allegedly planning attacks on key facilities.
According to officials, the group was also planning to target a power station south of Tripoli, along with other vital infrastructure. Foreign nationals are reportedly among those arrested, although authorities have not disclosed their identities or nationalities.
The arrests follow a string of drone attacks on the Zawiya oil complex, located about 45 kilometers west of Tripoli.
In August, a large petrol reservoir at the facility caught fire after a drone attack. The Zawiya complex houses Libya’s second-largest oil refinery, which has a refining capacity of about 120,000 barrels per day.
The state-owned National Oil Corporation later reported additional drone attacks on the complex. It also said an attempted attack on fuel tanks outside Tripoli was thwarted on Thursday.
The attacks have raised fresh concerns about the security of Libya’s oil infrastructure, which remains crucial to the country’s economy. Libya has Africa’s largest oil reserves but continues to struggle with political divisions and insecurity more than a decade after the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
The country remains split between the Unrecognized government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.#newsafro_
