Libyan official survives attack on motorcade
CAIRO — The interior minister of Libya’s U.n.-backed government survived an ambush by gunmen on his motorcade on Sunday, a brazen attack highlighting the towering challenges that remain for the newly appointed government that is trying to unite the country before elections late this year.
Armed men opened fire at Fathi Bashagha’s motorcade on a highway in Tripoli, wounding at least one of his guards, said Amin al-hashmi, a spokesman for the Tripoli-based Health Ministry.
He said the minister survived the attack and his guards chased the assailants, killing one and detaining two others.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement that Bashagha was returning to his residence when armed men in an armored vehicle opened fire on his convoy.
The statement called the attack an “attempted assassination.”
Earlier Sunday, Bashagha met with Mustafa Sanalla, head of Libya’s National Oil Corporation, to discuss the security of oil facilities and how to strengthen the corporation’s independence to “ensure a fair distribution of wealth among all Libyans.” He posted a photo on his Twitter account, calling their meeting “fruitful.”
The U.S. Ambassador in Libya Richard Norland also condemned the attack and called for an investigation to hold those responsible accountable.
The U.N. special envoy to Libya
Jan Kubis also urged a “full, rapid, and transparent investigation” into the incident, saying it had aimed at “derailing the political process and other efforts in support of Libya and its people.”
He said the attack has also showed “how important it is to keep all the arms only in the hands of the legitimate authorities.”