Benghazi, 31 July:
Seven Iranians were kidnapped early this morning, Tuesday, in Benghazi. The seven, all members of the Iranian Red Crescent . . .[restrict]organisation, were seized at around 1 a.m. on their way back to the Tibesti hotel from the headquarters of the Libyan Red Crescent, which is based in Benghazi.
According to the General Secretary of the Libyan Red Crescent, Abdulhamid Elmadani, the vehicle in which the seven were travelling was stopped by armed gunmen. They and were forced into another vehicle and driven off. The Red Crescent official with them was allowed to go free.
“We don’t have any information about them”, Elmadani told Libya Herald. He added that none of the brigades or militias in Benghazi had claimed reposibility for the abduction.
The seven had been invited by the Libyan Red Crescent to look into “various cooperation prospects in the field of humanitarian aid” according to a Red Crescent statement. They arrived in Libya on Monday.
“The Libyan Red Crescent implores the group who detained the delegation to set them free in appreciation of the aid and support given by the Iranian Red Crescent during the February 17 revolution,” the statement added.
There is a strong tide of anti-Iranian sentiment in Libya at the moment because of Tehran’s support for the Assad regime in Syria. Protests against Iran as well as Russia and China are planned in Tripoli this Friday. [/restrict]
