Libya arrests five people in connection with drone strikes on refinery

Libya

Authorities in western Libya have arrested five people in connection with a recent string of drone attacks on a major energy facility.

The government said the arrests exposed a “vast plot” and described the attacks as part of a coordinated campaign.

Authorities said the group were part of a "sabotage cell" who also planned to attack a power station south of Tripoli, as well as other vital facilities.

They said foreigners are among the suspects but didn’t give further details.

In August, a large petrol reservoir in Zawiya caught fire during a drone attack on a major oil facility near Tripoli, Libya's state-owned oil company NOC said.

The reservoir is part of the second-largest oil refinery in Libya, with a refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. Other drone attacks followed at the Zawiya complex, which is located some 45 kilometres west of Tripoli.

On Thursday, another attack on fuel tanks outside of Tripoli was thwarted, the NOC said.

Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa. But the country has been beset by violence and instability since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Two governments are currently vying for power: the UN-recognised administration in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.