Some 82 Libyans from Misrata were abducted in the country’s capital Tripoli on Tuesday, in less than 24 hours; the Anadolu Agency reported the Mayor of Misrata Muhamed Shetuoy saying.
“I went to Tripoli, and met the mayor of Abu-Salim to mediate for the release of the abductees who are from Misrata and abducted by armed groups affiliated with the municipality,” Shetuoy told the news agency yesterday.
Shetuoy called on militants who kidnapped the citizens of Misrata to “immediately release them, and secure the other six abductees who were released by the Common Security Chamber of the interior ministry on Tuesday.”
Meanwhile, a security source, who requested not to be named, told Anadolu that “the Common Security Chamber raided on Tuesday night a house belonging to militias in south west Tripoli and freed six persons who were abducted months ago.”
“One of the abductees is Tripoli Central Hospital director, Abdul Jalil Oraibi, who was abducted more than eight months ago as well as a Turkish worker and human rights activist, Abdul-Qader Al-Hashemi and three other Libyans,” the source said.
Meanwhile, armed brigade commander in Tripoli issued a statement on Tuesday threatening “armed confrontations if security services and the military institutions in the city were subjected to any kind of prejudice”. They asked all armed brigades outside the city to leave its headquarters.
Tripoli is witnessing new security tensions with possible confrontations with its armed allies in Misrata, as the main road linking areas of the city have been closed since Tuesday morning causing congestion.