Libyan PM freed after abduction by militants

By Agencies in Tripoli | China Daily | Updated: 2013-10-11 07:25

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was freed on Thursday after been seized by gunmen before dawn from a Tripoli hotel where he resides. The abduction appeared to be in retaliation for the US special forces' raid over the weekend that seized a Libyan al-Qaida suspect from the streets of the capital.

"I am fine, thank God," Zeidan tweeted after his release. "If the aim of the kidnapping operation was for me to present my resignation, then I won't resign. We are taking small steps, but in the right direction."

"The prime minister has been released," a government official confirmed.

Zeidan's abduction reflected the weakness of the government, which is virtually held hostage by powerful militias, many of which are made up of Islamic militants. Militants were angered by the US capture of the suspected militant, known as Abu Anas al-Libi, and accused the government of allowing the raid to happen or even colluding in it.

Witnesses said up to 150 gunmen drove up in pickup trucks and laid siege to the Corinthia Hotel before daylight on Thursday. A large group of them entered the building and some stayed in the lobby while others headed to the 21st floor where Zeidan was staying.

The gunmen scuffled with the prime minister's guards before they seized him and led him out at 5:15 am, said the witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity because they feared for their own safety. They said Zeidan offered no resistance while he was being led away.

In a sign of Libya's chaos, Zeidan's seizure was depicted by various sources as either an "arrest" or an abduction - reflecting how interwoven militias are in Libya's fragmented power structure.

Mohammed Shaaban, Corinthia's security manager, said the gunmen showed the hotel's management an arrest warrant they claimed had been issued by the public prosecutor.

The public prosecutor's office said it had issued no warrant for Zeidan's arrest.

With the country's police and army in disarray, many militiamen are enlisted to serve in state security agencies, though their loyalty is more to their own commanders than to government officials and they have often intimidated or threatened officials. The militias are rooted in the brigades that fought in the uprising that toppled the late leader Muammar Gadhafi in 2011, and are often referred to as "revolutionaries".

A grainy photograph widely posted on Thursday on social networking sites purportedly shows Zeidan being led from the Tripoli hotel by two young men, one of them bearded, holding him by both arms. The prime minister is frowning and looking disheveled. The photo also shows the arm of a third man resting on Zeidan's left shoulder.

Hours after the abduction, the streets of Tripoli appeared normal, with the bustle of the morning rush hour traffic. Children went to school as usual and stores opened.

The snatching of Zeidan came hours after he met with the family of al-Libi, whose real name is Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai - the al-Qaida suspect seized by the US in a bold raid in Tripoli on Saturday morning. US officials said al-Libi was immediately taken out of the country and is now being held on a US warship.

Al-Libi is alleged to be a senior al-Qaida member and is wanted by the US in connection to the bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, with a $5 million bounty on his head.

AP-Reuters