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By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 19 December 2013:
Police and military forces were securing Tripoli’s petrol stations this evening at the request of the . . .[restrict]Prime Minister’s Office, after vandalism forced the closure of ten stations.
Spokesman for Tripoli Security Directorate Essam Naas told the Libya Herald that the Prime Minster’s Office had agreed, on the advice of the Directorate, to deploy security forces across the capital following the sabotage of petrol stations.
These instances of vandalism reignited fears that the petrol crisis, which ended three days ago, might return. However, various officials have spoken out on television news programmes and social media networks stressing that there is no fuel shortage and that the current problems have been caused solely by vandals.
At one petrol station in Hadba Toul, the manager was forced to close after several armed men in plain clothes stole the petrol pumps, saying this was for the station’s protection. While police have arrived at some petrol stations, the situation on the streets remained tense as bystanders questioned why security forces had relinquished control of the fuelling stations so soon. [/restrict]
