At least two were killed when three car bombs exploded near interior ministry and security buildings in the Libya's capital Tripoli on Aug. 19—the first lethal attack of its kind since Moammar Qaddafi's fall last year. The first bomb blew up near the interior ministry's administrative offices in Tripoli but caused no casualties. On arriving at the site of the explosion, police found another car bomb that had not blown up. Minutes later, two car bombs exploded near the former headquarters of a women's police academy, which the Defense Ministry has been using for interrogations and detentions. That bomb killed two people and wounded two. The blasts took place early in the morning as worshippers prepared for morning prayers marking Eid al-Fitr, the celebration marking the end of Ramadan. Reports did not make clear if the dead were civilians or members of the security forces, but the downtown streets were crowded with worshippers. Authorities said they arrested 32 in the attacks, all suspected of being Qaddafi supporters. (World Bulletin, Turkey, NYT, Aug. 19)
Globalization comes to Tripoli
Note that earlier this month, Tripoli got its first US-style fast-food franchise, when the Cinnabon chain, which also markets Carvel Ice Cream, opened an outlet in the city. (CNN Money, Aug. 1)
File under “Jihad vs. McWorld”…
Libya: tanks seized from pro-Qaddafi militia
More than 100 tanks were seized from a Qaddafi-loyalist militia, the interior ministry said Aug. 23. A ministry official said an investigation into the Tripoli bomb attacks led to the militia which posed as “revolutionaries” and was housed in barracks in Souk al-Ahad near Tarhuna, 60 kilometers southeast of the capital. “More than 100 tanks and 26 missile launchers were seized” from the militia, Abdelmonem al-Hur, spokesman for the interior ministry’s High Security Committee, told a news conference. (AFP, Aug. 24)