Trending 
Authorities in western Libya have arrested five people, including foreign nationals, in connection with a recent series of drone attacks targeting a major energy complex.
The Tripoli-based government announced on Sunday that the detainees formed part of a “sabotage cell” planning further strikes against a power station south of Tripoli and other critical infrastructure.
Government officials characterised the arrests as uncovering a “vast plot” operating as a coordinated campaign against national energy assets.
The arrests follow a high-profile strike last month at the Zawiya oil facility near Tripoli, where a drone attack ignited a massive petrol reservoir.
Operated by Libya’s state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC), the facility houses the country’s second-largest oil refinery, capable of processing 120,000 barrels per day.
Subsequent drone strikes targeted the Zawiya complex in the following weeks, while security forces thwarted another attack on fuel tanks outside Tripoli on Thursday.
While authorities have not disclosed the identities or nationalities of the suspects, the security breach highlights ongoing vulnerability in the nation’s energy sector.
Despite holding Africa’s largest oil reserves, Libya remains divided between Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah’s UN-recognised administration in Tripoli and a rival eastern government backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.
