Officials showed journalists the weapons, which they said soldiers confiscated
from under the master bedroom of a home in Kano, the north's largest city.
The weapons had been packed into small coolers and concealed under several
layers of concrete, the military said in a statement.
The arms, later shown on the state-run Nigerian Television Authority, appeared
to include badly corroded rocket-propelled grenades, landmines, hand
grenades, assault rifles and magazines. Some of the weapons appeared to have
been charred.
The military did not explain why the men held the weapons, other than to say
they were part of Hizbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim political party.
"The arms and ammunition were targeted at facilities of Israel and
Western interest in Nigeria, however, the security agencies are making
frantic efforts to unveil the true situation," the military's statement
read. "At the end of investigation, all those involved will be
prosecuted."
The military did not say which targets had been chosen to be attacked. They
said three Lebanese men had been arrested, including one who was caught at
Kano's international airport trying to board a flight to Beirut carrying
some $60,000 (£39,400) in cash.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with more than 160 million residents, has a large Lebanese community that has interest in businesses across the country. However, this was the first time that Nigerian authorities have claimed that Hizbollah had an operational interest in the country.
Iran, which backs Hizbollah, has recently been implicated in two incidents in Nigeria. An Iranian and his Nigerian accomplice were sentenced to five years in prison earlier this month over trying to smuggle a weapons shipment heading to Gambia through Nigeria. U.S. authorities and the United Nations have linked the Iranian to his nation's Quds Force, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
In February, Nigerian authorities broke up what they described as an Iranian-backed group that was gathering intelligence about locations frequented by Americans and Israelis, as well as making lists of famous people for possible attacks. Those arrested in the operation have yet to face charges.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with more than 160 million residents, has a large Lebanese community that has interest in businesses across the country. However, this was the first time that Nigerian authorities have claimed that Hizbollah had an operational interest in the country.
Iran, which backs Hizbollah, has recently been implicated in two incidents in Nigeria. An Iranian and his Nigerian accomplice were sentenced to five years in prison earlier this month over trying to smuggle a weapons shipment heading to Gambia through Nigeria. U.S. authorities and the United Nations have linked the Iranian to his nation's Quds Force, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
In February, Nigerian authorities broke up what they described as an Iranian-backed group that was gathering intelligence about locations frequented by Americans and Israelis, as well as making lists of famous people for possible attacks. Those arrested in the operation have yet to face charges.
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