By Libya Herald reporter.
Tripoli, 8 January 2016:
A car exploded early this morning in Sabratha, 80 kilometres west of Tripoli. It happened . . .[restrict]before dawn near a shopping area in the town’s Muhanad area. There are conflicting reports, however, as to whether this was a car bomb or a simple accident.
Some reports claim the former, stating that a bomb was being transported to an unknown destination but exploded en route killing the driver but no one else. No one was injured in the incident, either.
However, Sabratha Media Centre, run by the municipality, says that the blast was caused by a gas cylinder exploding in a car that was parked outside the owner’s house and that no one was killed or injured.
Various militant groups, including the so-called Islamic State (IS) and Ansar Al-Sharia, are widely reported to have training camps in the area, and militants who have been arrested elsewhere have claimed that Sabratha is a major staging post for IS between Tunisia and Sirte. This week, there were reports of a boat arriving at Sabratha from Tunisia with some IS supporters, picking up a number more and then heading to Sirte.
The local authorities, however, persistently deny the presence of any militants in the town. But nearly three weeks ago, terrorists bombed the town’s military intelligence headquarters, injuring two security guards. [/restrict]
