Libya

Foreign Firms Helped Gaddafi

Sold him equipment used to spy on Libyans.

The “mad dog of the Middle East” liked to keep tabs on his people. Muammar Gaddafi’s regime bought surveillance equipment from many foreign companies, which was then used to spy on the Libyan people, The Wall Street Journal reports. Earlier this year, Libyan officials held talks with several companies, including Boeing Co.’s Narus, in order to add Internet-filtering capabilities to Libya’s spying operation. The South African firm VASTech sold Gaddafi’s regime tools to tap all international calls going in and out of the country. The sale of technology to intercept communications for profit is not against the law, although some countries require firms to obtain special approval before exporting interception devices.