Deputy leader of Libyan government reportedly kidnapped

By Waleed Duken

TRIPOLI

The deputy prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord has been kidnapped, a security official of the Tripoli-based government said late Tuesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj's deputy, Fathi al-Majbari, was abducted by an armed group.

No information is available on the armed group and no group has claimed responsibility so far.

Libya has been dogged by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to long-serving strongman Muammar Gaddafi’s death after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.

By Waleed Duken

TRIPOLI

The deputy prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord has been kidnapped, a security official of the Tripoli-based government said late Tuesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj's deputy, Fathi al-Majbari, was abducted by an armed group.

No information is available on the armed group and no group has claimed responsibility so far.

Libya has been dogged by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to long-serving strongman Muammar Gaddafi’s death after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.