Police car attacked in Benghazi, 1 injured
2013-01-15 08:59
Benghazi - At least one police officer was wounded when
attackers threw a hand grenade at a patrol car in the east Libyan city of
Benghazi on Monday in the latest in a series of assaults on security officials,
the force said.
The city was the seat of the uprising that overthrew Muammar
Gaddafi more than a year ago, and the government has struggled to control rival
armed factions there ever since.
The police car was parking near a crossroads close to the
centre of Libya's second biggest city when it came under attack from a passing
car, a police source said.
"A hand grenade was thrown from that car close to the
police car and at least one person was injured," the source said.
Italian officials said on Monday they were temporarily
withdrawing foreign staff from their consulate in the city as they assessed the
security situation after a gun attack on their consul.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire on Guido De Sanctis's
armoured car on Saturday. He was unhurt but the attack was a reminder of the 11
September attack on the US mission there that killed the ambassador and three
other Americans.
American officials say militants with ties to al-Qaeda
affiliates were most likely involved in that attack.
Benghazi, like much of Libya, is awash with weapons, and the
city has also seen recent attacks on British, Red Cross and United Nations
interests.
To keep a degree of order, Libya's government relies on
numerous militias made up of thousands of Libyans who took up arms against
Gaddafi. The groups provide what passes for official security but also pose a
significant threat to it.
In November, the city's police chief was shot dead and there
have been several attacks on police.
