Libya Clusterfuck: Enjoy Your Flight

As you may be aware, I categorically refuse to blog about Libya, but for this bit of reassuring news I shall make an exception.

Russia: Al-Qaeda may have anti-aircraft missiles from Libya

Moscow - The terrorist organization al-Qaeda may have acquired anti-aircraft missiles looted from military warehouses in Libya, a senior Russian official said on Wednesday.

'There are unpleasant things happening in Libya. Massive munitions dumps have been looted. It is not clear where the contents are,' said Ilya Rogachov, the top official in Russia's national anti-terrorism agency, told Interfax.

The civil war in Libya has left huge arms depots throughout the country unguarded, and among the weapons stolen from them are hand-held, anti-aircraft missiles ideal for a terrorist attack on an aircraft, Rogachev said.

'There is a high degree of probability that (some of) the stolen weapons have fallen into the hands of local branches of al-Quaeda,' he said.

The threat of a terrorist attack against a civilian aircraft, particularly in Europe, has increased, and a first-even shoot down of a US helicopter in Afghanistan by anti-aircraft missile in August may be linked to Libyan weaponry moving illicitly abroad, Rogachev said.

Stolen arms are leaving Libya aboard lorry convoys to Algeria and Niger, he said. M&C