TRIPOLI
At least 92 inmates escaped from a jail in Zliten, 42km east of Libyan capital Tripoli, a local official said Friday.
"Poor security in the town's prison encouraged inmates to riot, break down the prison's gates and escape," Zilten local council spokesman Hassan Sofia told Anadolu Agency.
Sofia said the jailbreak had nothing to do with reports of a failed coup attempt against the interim government of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.
Earlier Friday, Zeidan denied reports of a military coup after retired military commander Maj. Gen. Khalifa Haftar had claimed his forces had seized key military sites.
Appearing on television in military uniform, Haftar had also called for the dissolution of Libya's parliament and interim government.
But Zeidan insisted that Libyan security agencies were in full control of the situation on the ground.
He added that he had instructed the Defense Ministry to "take all necessary measures" against Haftar, going on to call for public support for the government and the country's interim parliament "to steer the country to safety."
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