By Ashraf Abdul-Wahab.
Tripoli 18 April 2013:
A police vehicle transferring prisoners from central Tripoli to Tajoura was attacked this morning, killing one . . .[restrict]of the prisoners. Others, as well as some of the guards, were wounded – two seriously, according to Justice Minister Salah Al-Marghani. One of the prisoners was taken by the attackers who managed to escape.
Using three cars, the armed group attacked the vehicle belonging to the judicial police carrying the prisoners and an escort car carrying guards, Marghani added.
The prisoners were being taken to the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution in Tajoura, some 15 kilometres east of Tripoli.
The Ministry condemned the attack, describing it as “criminal” and adding that it was a deliberate attempt to destabilise security and sabotage efforts to build a state of law. It had launched an investigation to identify the illegal armed militia involved and those behind it, Marghani said.
It is not known whether the attackers had set out to free the man taken or kidnapped him in a raid aimed at killing one or more of the prisoners.
The incident came a day after Marghani called the new anti-abduction law passed last week by Congress a major step in building a just society and said that the activities of illegal armed militias was one of the biggest problems facing the country.
Two weeks ago, in a remarkably similar incident, gunmen attacked a police vehicle and freed a murder suspect being taken from Tripoli’s Bab Ben Ghashir police station to the public prosecutor’s office nearby. The attack came a day after Marghani had announced that illegal brigades would be pursued and brought to justice if involved in crimes. [/restrict]
