Two Israeli pilots who were detained by Eritrean authorities under suspicions of arms smuggling were released Tuesday.
Captain Yehuda Maoz and First Officer Vered Aharonson were held for a number of weeks by authorities in Eritrea, a small nation located in the Horn of Africa, but were released after intervention by the Foreign Ministry.
Eritrean authorities said they held the pilots after they were found trying to take a 'suspicious mechanical piece' through customs.
The two were arrested at the Asmara International Airport located in the nation's capital after a routine security check revealed they were carrying a mechanical part authorities believed would be used for weapons configuration.
They arrived in the African country in early August as part of a routine flight, and were set to transport a mechanical part – held in a sealed envelope – to a security company which had hired their company's services.
The purpose of the mechanical piece was unclear, and to whom it was meant to be delivered remained unknown, authorities admitted. It is believed that the fact that the part was meant to be delivered to a private security company, was what triggered the Eritreans' suspicion.
Maoz and Aharonson work for Aviation Bridge, an Israeli-based private flight operator "specializing in executive, ambulance, and special-needs air transportation."