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Gunmen attacked a central bank van in Libya, stealing cash worth US$54 million, in the latest sign of growing lawlessness since the 2011 overthrow of former ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The official Lana news agency said "10 heavily armed men" had made off with the funds on Monday, which were destined for the Libyan central bank branch in the central city of Sirte, and had been flown there from Tripoli.
The gunmen attacked the van on the road between Sirte airport and the town itself, 500 kilometres east of Tripoli, Lana said.
It did not say if there were any casualties.
Only one security vehicle had been assigned to protect the van, and the agency said the guards "were unable to resist the 10 attackers".
The agency quoted a security official in the city as saying the vehicles used in the robbery had been identified and that police were hunting for the perpetrators.
A city official said two Sirte banks had been hit in July, with the robbers making off with 500,000 Libyan dinars (HK$3 million).
Gaddafi freed tens of thousands of convicted criminals in the early days of the 2011 rebellion, many of whom have formed powerful gangs that have taken advantage of a flood of weapons from his looted arsenal.
Sirte, the last bastion of support for Gaddafi, has largely been spared the violence that has swept the country. The eastern city of Benghazi, cradle of the 2011 uprising, has seen a series of attacks in recent months, including the bombing of a reception hall early on Monday which caused damage but no injuries.
Security forces spokesman Colonel Abdallah al-Zaidi said the home-made bomb contained some 12kg of TNT.
Two days earlier a bomb had exploded in the car of an electoral official in the same neighbourhood in Benghazi, damaging five cars but causing no casualties. That explosion took place in the car park of a school that was being used as a centre for the committee organising municipal elections, for which no date has yet been set.
The government has called on the brigades of ex-rebels that overthrew Gaddafi to lay down their arms or join the security forces, but several militias have ignored its pleas and carved out their own fiefdoms across the vast, mostly-desert country.


US$54m stolen from Libyan bank van

The bank heist is the latest sign of growing lawlessness in Libya. Photo: Reuters

Men extinguish a fire after a car bomb exploded in Benghazi. Photo: Reuters

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Gunmen attacked a central bank van in Libya, stealing cash worth US$54 million, in the latest sign of growing lawlessness since the 2011 overthrow of former ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
