Tripoli: Libyan rebels gained control over the Libyan capital Tripoli’s main airport for some time, demanding to know the fate of their leader Abu Oegeila al-Hebeishi who had been arrested earlier.
Gunmen have briefly gained control over the Libyan capital Tripoli’s main airport, forcing flights to be diverted to a military airport, security officials say.
A militia of former revolutionaries entered the Tripoli International Airport on Monday with tanks and armoured vehicles, completely blocking its air traffic, AFP reported. The airport’s flights were cancelled and its incoming flights diverted to Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport.
Later, the gunmen left the airport after receiving guarantees that an investigation would be launched into the man’s circumstances, Press TV reported, citing Libyan media.
The militiamen reportedly belong to a group known as the al-Awfea Brigade from the town of Tarhouna.
Colonel al-Hebeishi was kidnapped by unknown armed rebels while travelling between Tarhouna and Tripoli late last night, said Mohammed al-Harizy, spokesman of National Transitional Council (NTC), which has been ruling the country since the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi last October.
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