Tripoli, 14 November:
The secretary of Sirte Local Council, Milad Ali Abu-Raqaiba, was assassinated by unknown gunmen on Monday morning. He was . . .[restrict]hit outside the town’s medical institute, said to be located on the same road as his house.
The reason for the attack is unconfirmed, but it is widely believed by residents in Sirte that it relates to Abu-Raqaiba’s alleged support for revolutionaries during last year’s war.
“Many people here think he was with the people who were standing with the other side [the revolutionaries]”, said Mahmoud Ali, a local engineer. “In fact, they are sure of it. That is why he was shot… He was a main man on the council; a guy who knew a lot of things.”
Ali said that the reaction towards the death in Sirte was mixed. “Many people that were with the revolution are feeling said about it, but the other side are happy. Many of them lost their relatives and cousins and sons. They believe he was doing something bad to the people of Sirte and he got something bad in return.”
Sirte Local Council called an emergency meeting in response to the incident and instructed all security forces to intensify patrols in and around the city in an effort to apprehend the perpetrators.
The council also assigned Sirte’s Traffic Police Department to run more patrols and gave them the power to fine drivers of vehicles with tinted windows and no number plates. [/restrict]
