Three MBDA anti-tank missiles seized in French van at Port of Bari
A 46-year-old Frenchman was arrested on 8 June at the Port of Bari, Italy, with three anti-tank missiles in his van. MBDA has cited a "marking incident" on inert mock-ups.
Anti-tank missiles in a van: French national held in Italy after seizure at Port of Bari
Three anti-tank missiles discovered during a routine inspection at the Port of Bari in south-eastern Italy: this is the starting point of a case which, according to France Info, has only just been made public, several weeks after the incident.
On 8 June, a 46-year-old French national was intercepted as he disembarked from a ferry coming from Greece. Italian police found high-technology military equipment in his van: anti-tank missiles among the most recent available on the European market. The man was immediately suspected of weapons trafficking and held in custody.
Licence issued by French Ministry of Defence
His lawyer strongly contests this charge. He claims that his client was transporting the equipment from a NATO site on behalf of French arms company MBDA, and that he was in possession of an individual licence issued by the French Ministry of Defence, valid until 26 January 2027.
Despite this document, the Italian authorities at Bari noted irregularities which justified the detention of the driver. The investigation is still ongoing.
MBDA speaks of "test mock-ups" and an administrative incident
For its part, MBDA acknowledges a problem, but one of an administrative nature. Contacted by France Télévisions, the company stated that these were "test mock-ups", devoid of explosives and pyrotechnic material. The company refers to a "marking incident": "The marking indicating that the material was inert without pyrotechnic material was not present on all the equipment", MBDA stated in its response.
On the mode of transport—a simple van for such sophisticated devices—MBDA maintains that there is nothing unusual about this practice.
International security context judged to be determining
For military experts, the current geopolitical context likely weighed on the decision of the Italian authorities. Xavier Tytelman, a military expert, emphasises the exceptional nature of the seized material: "This is the latest generation of anti-tank missiles. It is truly the state of the art in the field of anti-tank missiles. It is really very, very recent. There are very few clients and obviously, it is what all terrorists would dream of being able to exploit."
Driver still behind bars
The case, which dates back to the beginning of June, was only made known to the public recently. The French driver remains in custody in Italy pending the conclusions of the investigation. His lawyer argues that he finds himself at the heart of a purely administrative problem beyond his control, and that his criminal liability cannot be engaged under these circumstances.
Source: France Info