Libya’s PM survives assassination attempt, source says
- Incident involving Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah happened early Thursday, source says
- Libya has struggled to recover from the decade of chaos that followed the ouster of dictator Muammar Gaddafi
Assailants struck Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah’s car with bullets early on Thursday but he escaped unharmed, a source close to him said, amid intense factional wrangling over control of the government.
The source said the incident happened as Dbeibah was returning home, describing it as a clear assassination attempt, but the attackers fled and the incident has been referred for investigation.
Reuters has seen no immediate photographs or footage of the incident or its aftermath, or spoken to other witnesses to the incident.
If confirmed, an attempt to assassinate Dbeibah could aggravate the crisis over control of Libya after he said he will ignore a vote scheduled by the eastern-based parliament later on Thursday to replace him.
Armed forces have mobilised more fighters and equipment in the capital over recent weeks, raising fears the political crisis could trigger fighting.
Libya has had little peace or stability since the 2011 Nato-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, and it split in 2014 between warring Factions in east and west.
