By Ayman Amzein.
Benghazi, 22 February, 2014:
Six Qataris were arrested at Benghazi’s Benina airport this morning in possession of fake Libyan passports . . .[restrict]while trying to take a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, officials at the airport have told the Libya Herald.
A source with the airline said that passport control officials became suspicious when they heard the men speaking with non-Libyan accents. The six were detained and Qatari passports were then found in their possession, he added. Other reports say that LD 180,000 was also found in their luggage.
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry has confirmed the arrest. He added that the Ministry of Interior was launching an investigation into the incident.
Relations with the Gulf emirate, while officially close, have been strained by any number anti-Qatari incidents last year. They included protests alleging Qatar interference in Libya through support for the Muslim Brotherhood, and attacks on Qatar Airlines offices, forcing the airline to suspend flights to the country.
Qatar was a major supporter of the revolution in 2011. [/restrict]
