By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 18 April 2014:
Four gunmen broke into the Portuguese embassy in Tripoli early this . . .[restrict]morning and beat up guards before fleeing the premises when the security forces arrived. It is thought the attackers were thieves rather than anyone with a political grudge.
Local officials have confirmed to the Libya Herald that gunmen “broke down the door and entered the premises”. However, they ran away when the police arrived – so fast “that they even left the car they had driven to the embassy in”.
“We believe it was a criminal act and they were thieves. There doesn’t seem to be any other motivation,” an official said, adding that it was nonetheless very worrying. “They have a sense of impunity, that they can get away with anything.”
Diplomats in Tripoli were already shaken by the kidnapping of the Jordanian Ambassador on Tuesday morning and an adviser at the Tunisian embassy on Thursday.
“We are all targets now,” said one ambassador adding that he was now saying ‘no’ to invitations to attend events in and around Tripoli. [/restrict]
