Armed Libyan militiamen stormed the Tripoli airport before withdrawing on Monday, demanding the release of one of their leaders, who disappeared several nights ago, according to reports.
The al-Awfea Brigade militia surrounded the airport with tanks and did not allow anyone inside, forcing flights to be diverted, reported Al-Jazeera. It said that some of the militiamen fired into the air, which wounded an airport employee slightly.
Various militia brigades still exist in Libya, composed of former rebels who fought against Gadhafi’s forces before his ouster last August.
Ruling National Transitional Council spokesperson Mohammed al-Harizy said that the head of the al-Awfea Brigade, Colonel Abu Ajila al-Habshi, was kidnapped by unknown assailants.
“The disappearance and abduction of Colonel Abu Ajila al-Habshi” was not ordered by the government, and it is investigating the matter, the spokesperson said.
“We are protesting his kidnapping by coming to this airport,” Anas Amara, a spokesperson for the militia, told Reuters. “We have one tank outside the airport and our cars are surrounding the airplanes so they don’t fly.”
Earlier, a defense ministry official confirmed with Reuters that the militia drove tanks onto the runway and surrounded several planes.
“They are on the runway, in the car park, everywhere,” the official was quoted as saying earlier on Monday. “There are no flights.”
