Libya: Gunmen storm private TV office
2013-03-08 07:50
Cairo - Dozens of Libyan militiamen stormed the headquarters
of a private TV network on Thursday in Tripoli, looting and smashing equipment
before abducting staffers, the country's official news agency and witnesses
said.
The agency LANA said some staffers were released following
the attack on Al-Assama TV network, but that the militia was still holding the
network top two managers.
It's unclear what prompted the attack.
Sulieman Abu-Azza, a news editor at the station, said the
militiamen locked the staffers in a room, torched offices and then led at least
six, including the network's owner, manager and employees, to vehicles and took
them to an undisclosed location. Later in the day, they freed all except Joumaa
al-Usta, a wealthy businessman who owns the network, and the station's
executive manager.
The network is affiliated with Mahmoud Jibril, the country's
former war-time prime minister and western-minded political figure leading the
largest coalition in parliament.
Mahmoud Shammam, who runs another TV network, told the
official Libya TV that he tried unsuccessfully to reach government ministers
and security officials to get their help.
Two years after the revolution that ousted and killed
Libya's dictator Muammar Gaddafi, militiamen have filled in security vacuum,
operating with impunity with the state relying on them as parallel security
forces.
It is not known which militia was behind the assault, but
Abu-Azza suspected the attack could have been carried out in retaliation to the
network's heavy criticism of the unruly militia and its coverage of assaults
against the country's National General Congress.
Earlier this week,
lawmakers at the Congress were under siege for hours and one lawmaker, who
tried to flee the building, was beaten up by a militiaman. One of the
militiamen pointed his gun at the head of the country's top leader Mohammed
el-Megarif, whose car came under fire while on his way home, according to a
statement the congress issued on Wednesday.
The lawmakers have been discussing a controversial law that
aims to prevent Gaddafi-era officials from holding any political post in new
Libya.
- AP
