'No armed groups in Mauritanian territory', says government
Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - There are no armed groups in the territory of Mauritania and the ammunition seized a few days ago by security forces in Senegal was intended for target shooting clubs, a traditional sport, according to a Mauritanian government statement released on Friday.
The Senegalese press has revealed, in recent days, the seizure of 4,500 ammunition of 7.62 millimeters for the AK 47 assault rifle, stolen from a national army depot, as part of an arms trafficking to Mauritania and which resulted in the arrest of two individuals and the escape of an actively wanted soldier.
The Dakar prosecutor's office has asked the dean of the investigating judges to open an investigation into "criminal association in connection with a terrorist activity and possession of weapons with a view to committing terrorist attacks".
Those arrested were placed in pre-trial detention.
The Mauritanian Ministry of Interior says that "these munitions are not intended for armed groups, which have no presence on our national territory, thanks to a multidimensional security strategy.
"The results of our investigations showed that these ammunition were intended for traditional target shooting competitions."
In addition, the Mauritanian government "welcomes the excellent level of cooperation between security services of the two countries, which allowed the rapid arrest of suspects on both sides".
-0- PANA SAS/BEH/KND/VAO 8Nov2019
