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By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 3 January 2014:
A British man, one of two foreign nationals from the UK and New Zealand who . . .[restrict]were found shot dead yesterday on a beach near Sabratha, worked for a UK-based oil services company operating in Libya.
The murdered pair have not yet been named but are understood to be a 49 year-old English man and a 47 year-old woman from New Zealand. An image which was circulated on social media networks showed a man and woman, said to be the victims, lying face-down in the sand, with a picnic blanket spread behind them.
Bullets from a 9mm gun are said to have been found near the crime scene. Robbery has apparently been discounted as a motive because the possessions of the two had not been taken, according to a Reuters report. The Toyota vehicle the pair drove to the beach was also left untouched.
Reports have said that at least one of the victims worked for Blue Energy Oil Services. The official Facebook page for Blue Energy’s Training Centre describes it as: “A long-established British company registered in Tripoli, with worldwide connections and experience.” Blue Energy, which offers training services, including driving, first aid and health and safety courses, described itself as “well-established in Libya.”
Sabratha local council released a statement denouncing the killings. It said both the council and local residents were awaiting the outcome of investigations. The killing was contrary to the country’s ethics and religion, the statement said, adding that the council hoped the incident would not affect Libya’s relations with the UK and New Zealand. [/restrict]
