AMMAN
Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh has condemned the kidnapping early Tuesday of Jordanian ambassador to Libya Fawaz al-Aitan and two companions in Libyan capital Tripoli.
In statements broadcast on state television, Judeh denounced Tuesday's kidnapping as "an attack on the Jordanian Kingdom and its diplomatic representative in Libya."
"The Jordanian diplomatic mission in New York will ask the U.N. Security Council to condemn the kidnapping," he said.
Judeh asserted that no contacts had yet been made with the kidnappers, adding that his Libyan counterpart, Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, had reaffirmed that the Libyan authorities were working "relentlessly" to locate al-Aitan and secure his release.
In a related development, Royal Jordanian Airlines suspended a Tuesday flight to Tripoli, citing security concerns.
In a statement, Jordan's national carrier said it was "following" the situation in Libya.
Earlier Tuesday, al-Aitan, along with two companions, was abducted by unidentified gunmen in Libyan capital Tripoli.
The diplomat's driver, meanwhile, was injured during the kidnapping, Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sabah al-Rafei told Anadolu Agency.
According to eyewitnesses, al-Aitan's car was intercepted in Tripoli's Mansoura district by four masked gunmen who later abducted him.
A high-level Jordanian government official told AA that "Jihadist" groups were likely behind the abduction.
"It's most likely that Jihadist groups are behind the kidnapping to pressure Amman to release [detained] group members," the official, asking not to be named, told AA.
Jordanian authorities recently announced the arrest of a number of Libyan "extremists" in the kingdom, but provided no details as to the number of those arrested.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
