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| Africa North |
| Libya prime minister: Kidnapping was an attempted 'coup' |
| 2013-10-12 |
| [CNN] Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan on Friday described his kidnapping this week as an attempted coup carried out by political opponents bent on toppling his government. Zeidan was kidnapped early Thursday from a luxury hotel in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... and held for several hours by militia gunnies before being released, an incident that has highlighted the security threat posed by militias that have run rampant since the revolution that ousted Muammar Qadaffy ...a reminder that a single man with an idea can change an entire nation, usually for the worse... two years ago. "I don't believe that 100 cars armed with heavy weapons can surround the hotel and lock it down and create checkpoints to prevent people from passing ... without an order from their leadership," Zeidan said in televised remarks. "...This was coup, a coup against the legitimacy" of the government. Zeidan blamed political opponents for his abduction, saying they had been trying to take over the government. He said his abductors identified themselves as members of the Operations Room of Libya's Revolutionaries, a militia group. Zeidan said his abductors, who forced their way into his room at the Corinthia Hotel before dawn, were carrying forged papers and claimed they had orders from Libya's general prosecutor. The five-star hotel that Zeidan calls home is popular among government officials, some of whom reside there, including the justice minister. He said the gunnies entered a number of hotel rooms belonging to diplomatic and international missions. "They entered my room forcefully and took me, and I couldn't stop them," Zeidan said, adding that they ransacked his room. He said they took documents and his computer. In remarks to a Cabinet meeting broadcast on Libyan state TV on Thursday, Zeidan said he did not want to see the situation escalate and urged Libyans to show "wisdom." But the Operations Room of Libya's Revolutionaries said it merely tossed in the calaboose Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! him over financial and administrative corruption charges. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... the Justice Ministry said there was no arrest warrant for Zeidan, calling the move a kidnapping. The militia works with the Interior Ministry -- a not altogether uncommon practice in Libya, which has tried unsuccessfully to rein in the many militia groups. Instead, various ministries have teamed up with them for their own needs, including providing security services. |
| Posted by:Fred |