- Nine men caught with explosives, says militia chief
- Also accused of trying to relaunch former leader's official TV station
By Simon Tomlinson
Last updated at 6:29 PM on 1st January 2012
A Libyan militia chief today said his fighters had captured nine supporters of overthrown leader Colonel Gaddafi who had been plotting to blow up Tripoli's power grid on New Year's Eve.??????
Abdullah Naker, the commander of Tripoli's Revolutionist Council, said the men had been caught with explosives bought from the black market and were now being interrogated.
Militia groups who helped oust Gaddafi last year still hold considerable power in Libya and have taken the law into their hands in several areas.
Abdullah Naker, commander of Tripoli's Revolutionist Council, today announces the capture of nine Gaddafi supporters accused of trying to blow up the capital's power grid
The men had been planning to set off a number of explosions in the capital (above), according to Libya's electricity and renewable energy authority, which was quoted in state media
Some have been setting up road blocks and arresting suspects despite the presence of an official police force.
Naker told Reuters news agency the nine Gaddafi supporters had been funded by a group of businessmen affiliated to the former leader, who was killed in October after militias overran his home town of Sirte.
?
Naker also accused the group and their supporters of trying to relaunch the former leader's official television station Al Jamahiriya.????????
The men had been planning to set off a number of explosions in the capital, state media reported, quoting a statement from Libya's electricity and renewable energy authority.?
Naker said the men had been funded by a group of businessmen affiliated to Colonel Gaddafi (above), who was killed by militias in October???????????
Libya's interim government set a deadline that expired on December 20 for militias to leave Tripoli and most withdrew their fighters and dismantled checkpoints last week.
Naker said a number of bands returned to the capital on Saturday, in a show of strength to Gaddafi supporters that he said were still at large and threatening the country.????????
Libya's interim rulers are trying to persuade thousands of militia fighters to join the military, police and civil service to try to break up the forces controlled by rival commanders with regional allegiances.???
Naker and other militia chiefs have said they want guarantees that their men will be paid well by the government before letting them go.
?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.