Where Did Libya Acquire its Gas Centrifuge Components?
One cannot overemphasize the importance of Pakistan in Libya’s nuclear gas centrifuge components acquisition. Pakistan has played a central role in Libya’s development of nuclear technology over the past decades. Not only did Libya partially finance Pakistan’s initial efforts to develop nuclear weapons during the 1970s, but it also turned to the Khan network 20 years later to develop its own indigenous nuclear capability. Khan Research Laboratories played a central role in facilitating nuclear transfers to Libya and provided some key equipment to the country beginning in the mid-1990s. Reports indicate that Libya not only received centrifuge components from Pakistan, but also partly enriched uranium. In February 2001, Pakistan allegedly sent Libya a shipment that included 1.7 tons of UF6 gas, which the country could use to produce HEU. The cargo was reportedly delivered by way of a Pakistani airliner. In 2001 and 2002, Khan sent Libya all the components necessary to manufacture complet
