TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Gunmen surrounded Libya’s Foreign Ministry yesteday, calling for a ban on officials who worked for deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi holding senior positions in the new administration.
Just days after the French embassy in Tripoli was bombed, the armed protest raised fresh security fears in the capital and the German embassy suspended some of its activities.
At least 20 pick-up trucks loaded with anti-aircraft guns blocked the roads while men armed with AK-47 and sniper rifles directed the traffic away from the Foreign Ministry, witnesses said.
Armed groups also tried unsuccessfully to storm the Ministry of Interior and the state news agency, according to the prime minister who called a news conference to address the problem.
“These attacks will never get us down and we will not surrender,” Ali Zaidan told reporters.
