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| Africa North |
| Four Tripoli kidnappings and Egyptian embassy sacked |
| 2014-10-23 |
| [Libya Herald] 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... was gripped by disorder today as armed gangs seized four people and the unoccupied Egyptian embassy on the Corniche attacked and ransacked in an assault by at least ten weapon-mounted vehicles. The kidnappings began in the morning when the local Red Islamic Thingy Secretary Nasser Mohammed Daou Al-Alwani was grabbed in his office in Shara Haiti. Witnesses claimed that he were tossed into the calaboose by security forces from Tajoura. In an immediate protest at the abduction, in which Red Islamic Thingy workers stopped work. Also this morning Hay Andalous councillor Hossa Tntosh was seized from the local council building by armed intruders. This evening kidnappers were again at work. Reliable sources say that journalist, who has not yet been named has been kidnapped. Meanwhile at around 8pm more gunnies snatched Colonel Salah al-Qadiri, the Libyan army head of protocol, who was drinking coffee with a friend in the Sariya Café on Martyrs' Square. The most spectacular event of the day however has been the attack on and the looting of the Egyptian embassy. Witnesses said that at least ten "technicals" bearing the markings of Misratan and Suq Al-Juma militias stormed the building, smashing down the front gates and shooting their way through the front doors. There were later reports of firing within the elegant building which was formerly the home of the Libyan Crown Prince. The attackers were still in the building late this evening. It is believed that the raid was in response to reports that Egypt has been giving more assistance to Libyan forces targeting Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Libyaand Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out an Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet... in Benghazi. Egypt, in concert with the United Arab Emirates, is assumed to have been behind air attacks on Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... forces in and around Tripoli. |
| Posted by:Fred |