Former Libyan prime minister kidnapped again

THE FORMER prime minister of Libya, Ali Zeidan, was kidnapped by gunmen from a hotel in the capital Tripoli on Sunday.

This is the second time that Zeidan was kidnapped from a hotel after he was forced out of Tripoli’s Corinthia Hotel at gunpoint in October 2013.

Members of Haytham Tajouri’s Tripoli Revolutionary Brigade (TRB) were alleged to be behind Zeidan’s latest kidnapping from the Victoria Hotel in Khaled Ben Waled Street, off Omar Mukhtar Street, the Libyan Herald reported.

There are unconfirmed reports that the TRB was executing a warrant issued by the attorney-general, Sadiq Al-Sour. There has as yet been no reaction from the Presidency Council.

Zeidan left for Germany in March 2014 after he was fired by the-then parliament, the General National Congress (GNC).

The former PM returned to Libya on several occasions. During one of the visits he claimed he was still prime minister.

He returned again this year and told the media he had visited a number of towns and cities including Tobruk, Beida, Benghazi, Zintan, Sebha and Jufra.

After a visit to Sebha in July, there were reports that while there he had called for the division of Libya, claims he strongly denied.

During his abduction in 2013 Zeidan was held for a few hours before being released.

The previous abduction was blamed on GNC members.