Update – @05:45 (EST) Western media reporting he has been released. Apparently the faction of Islamist militia who kidnapped the PM came under heavy pressure from other militias who saw a backlash risk to themselves.
Overnight – – This is a breaking story…. I’m scrambling for details. Hey Hillary/Obama… your “Rebels” eh? Retaliation for the prior weekend arrest of al-Qaeda operative Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai ? Looks like it….
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was snatched by gunmen before dawn Thursday from a Tripoli hotel where he resides, the government said. The abduction appeared to be in retaliation for the U.S. special forces raid over the weekend that seized a Libyan al-Qaeda suspect from the streets of the capital.
Zeidan’s abduction reflected the weakness of Libya’s government, which is virtually held hostage by powerful militias, many of which are made up of Islamic militants. Militants were angered by the U.S. capture of the suspected militant, known as Abu Anas al-Libi, and accused the government of colluding in or allowing the raid.
In a sign of Libya’s chaos, Zeidan’s seizure was depicted by various sources as either an “arrest” or an abduction.
That is because the militias are interwoven in Libya’s fragmented power structure. With the police and army in disarray, many are enlisted to serve in state security agencies, though their loyalty is more to their own commanders than to government officials and they have often intimidated or threatened officials. The militias are rooted in the brigades that fought in the uprising that toppled autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, and are often referred to as “revolutionaries.” (more…)
