- Title: Foreigners' kidnapping in Libya may hold links to al-Qaeda - LNA spox
- Date: 21st September 2016
- Summary: BENGHAZI, LIBYA (SEPTEMBER 20, 2016) (REUTERS) SPOKESPERSON FOR THE LIBYAN NATIONAL ARMY, AHMED AL-MISMARI WALKING UP TO PODIUM LIBYAN NATIONAL ARMY FLAG BY PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SPOKESPERSON FOR THE LIBYAN NATIONAL ARMY, AHMED AL-MISMARI, SAYING: "A terrorist group or a criminal gang - even though this kidnapping bears the marks of al-Qaeda - on Sunday, kidnapped tw
- Embargoed: 6th October 2016 03:58
- Keywords: libya kidnapping benghazi italian canadian
- Location: BENGHAZI, LIBA
- City: BENGHAZI, LIBA
- Country: Libya
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA00150IBY9Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Libyan National Army spokesperson, Ahmed al-Mismari, said on Tuesday (September 20) that a recent kidnapping of three foreigners in Libya bore the marks of an al-Qaeda operation.
Two Italians and a Canadian were kidnapped near the southwestern Libyan town of Ghat on Monday (September 19), all of whom were working on airport projects, according to the town's mayor Gomani Mohamed Saleh.
Local media also reported that the three foreigners worked for the Libyan branch of the Italian firm Contratti INternazionali Costruzioni SpA.
While there was still no further information on the assailants, numerous criminal and armed groups are known to be active in Libya's vast southern desert, and al Qaeda-linked Islamists have long had a presence across the border between Libya and Algeria.
"A terrorist group or a criminal gang - even though this kidnapping bears the marks of al-Qaeda - on Sunday, kidnapped two Italians and one Canadian working in Ghat city airport which is located around 20 km north of the city. The foreigners were on a plane from Tripoli to Ghat, and after arriving, they were captured. Unidentified assailants removed their driver from the car and kidnapped the foreigners who were on this plane," al-Mismari said at a news conference in Benghazi.
The Italian foreign ministry confirmed late on Monday (September 19) that two of its citizens had been abducted in the Libyan desert, without giving further details.
The Canadian government said in a statement: "We are aware of the troubling yet unconfirmed report of the abduction of a Canadian citizen in Libya. We are diligently pursuing all appropriate channels."
During the news conference, al-Mismari also referred to an air strike on Tuesday, which killed at least eight civilians including women and children, as barbaric.
"This air strike hit Libyan civilians in the area. This barbaric strike targeted these people based on the assumption that they were armed forces, because a few days before, the Saraya brigade sent ground troops to search the area," he said.
The strike was near an oasis town in central Libya and the identity of the war planes that carried out the strike near Houn could not be confirmed. Armed groups loyal to factions based in eastern and western Libya operate in the area.
At least 20 people were wounded in the strike and all victims were brought to the hospital in Houn, a doctor there said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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