The Tunisian military seized concealed weapons from a French diplomatic delegation that was traveling across the border from Libya.
The army confiscated the personal weapons of the 13 diplomats as they were passing through the Ras Jdir border crossing.
Tunisian security sources said that the officials claimed to have handed over all of their arms, but further inspection of their vehicles revealed that they had concealed other weapons.
The officials refused to disclose the purpose for carrying these arms, simply saying they were “on a secret diplomatic mission.”
Tunisian Defense Minister Abdul Karim Al-Zubaidi confirmed the development, adding that the French delegation resisted when prompted to hand over their concealed weapons.
They were eventually forced to comply with the military authorities.
The French embassy in Tunis, meanwhile confirmed that a delegation had crossed over from Libya to Tunisia, saying the movement was part of regular activity between the neighbors.
It explained that the diplomats were forced to use the land border on Sunday given the ongoing security developments in Libya.
The officials were tasked with protecting the French ambassador in Libya, it revealed.
