Al Qaeda is using the ongoing Libyan conflict to acquire weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles, an Algerian security official told Reuters on Monday.

A convoy of trucks carrying weapons smuggled from Libya in recent days has reached Mali in western Africa, where they are expected to end up in the hand of militants from Al Qaeda's north African wing.

An unidentified Algerian security official said the smuggled weapons include surface-to-air missiles as the militants seeks to extend their influence to the Mediterranean Coast.