Belgian arrested over alleged arms trafficking to Libya

A Belgian national has been arrested by police investigating international money laundering and arms trafficking to Libya in violation of a UN embargo, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

The suspect was detained in police raids Wednesday in Brussels that netted three other people who were later released, the prosecutor’s office said.

A judge ordered the Belgian held on charges of breaching arms legislation, participating in a criminal organisation, violating the UN arms embargo and possessing false papers, it said.

“The arms would have been imported and/or exported by means of falsified documents,” it said.

Computer and other material seized in the house raids are being examined by the authorities.

The prosecutor’s office said the arrest is part of an investigation into companies based in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Niger and Belgium which are allegedly involved in money laundering as well as trafficking arms and military material to Libya in violation of a UN arms embargo.

The arms embargo was first imposed on Libya in 2011. UN monitors have reported arms shipments from Egypt, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan to the various factions.

Libya is awash with weapons, with some 20 million of all types in a country of just six million people, according to the UN.