By Callum Paton and Maha Suliman.
Tunis/Benghazi, 9 November 2014:
Five people have been injured in a targeted bomb attack on a meeting . . .[restrict]between Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni and UN Special Envoy Bernardino Leon in Shahat.
A senior security official in the eastern town told the Libya Herald that three cars laden with explosives had detonated near the administrative building in which the two men, their delegations and journalists were present. The building was not far from Shahat Security Directorate headquarters.
The official said three members of the security forces and two journalists were wounded in the blast. The extent of their injuries is not yet know. The attack did not result in any deaths.
It is believed the bombing could only have been possible following a serious security breach. The security official explained that the location of the meeting between the Prime Minister and Leon had been changed only a short time before as the result of threats against them. Someone, he said, must have passed on the information.
It is still unclear as to who carried out the attack.
Leon arrived in eastern Libya by way of Beida this morning. UNSMIL said Leon was scheduled to visit a number of towns across the country over the course of his visit. It said he would be “consulting with Libyan stakeholders on the way forward regarding management of the transitional period”.
Shahat lies roughly 15 kilometres from Beida and is accessible from Derna via two costal roads.
Follow Maha Suliman on Twitter: @Mahasye
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