French National Detained in Italy After Van Loaded with Anti-Tank Missiles

In a June operation at the southern Italian port of Bari, police detained 46-year-old Frenchman Regis Normand after a routine inspection of his van revealed a cache of military hardware. The seizure included three Akeron portable anti-tank missiles, a non-functional training missile, and a launch tube, all disguised as NATO training equipment. Normand told investigators the weapons had undergone repairs on the Greek island of Crete and were being ferried back to MBDA France, the missile’s producer.

Judicial documents indicate that MBDA held a licence for testing incomplete Akeron missiles in Greece, but officials noted the absence of proper transport permits and irregularities in the supplied documentation. The case remains under investigation, and Normand remains in custody.