Six Gadhafi Fuel Trucks and Eight Smugglers Apprehended

Eight pro-Gadhafi troops were caught in Messadine and Messaken in a major operation by Tunisian security forces on Sunday, August 6th. The arrested men entered Tunisian territory with the hope of smuggling large quantities of fuel, not weapons as was rumored.

Hundreds of Tunisians and Libyans gathered in the town of Messadine for a discussion on the smuggling of large quantities of weapons to Gadhafi troops in Libya. The story has spread all over the governorate of Sousse. Meanwhile, security forces learned details of the operation and revealed the smuggling scheme. They uncovered tons of fuel tanks, but locals who expected weapons were left impatient.

The eight pro-Gadhafi Libyans who carried out the operation came to Tunisia in six large Libyan trucks, and once they crossed the border posts, they were closely watched by Tunisian security forces and guards. The whole operation took place in the coastal town of Messadine. The pro-Gadhafi men were caught and accused of attempting to smuggle large quantities of fuel. The fuel was confiscated and pumped into a gas station in the town of Messadine.

Seven of the smugglers were caught during the confiscation of the trucks; the eighth was soon caught in Messaken.

Libyan rebel supporters residing in Tunisia were present in large numbers during the operation and were keen on taking part. They first launched the rumor of weapons smuggling and expressed satisfaction with their role and the professionalism of the security forces.

Source: Al Chorouk