By Libya Herald reporters.
Benghazi, 20 June 2017:
It has become clear that guards at the Sidra Gate had a lucky escape early this morning when they tackled a suicide bomber. Though the man blew himself up, slightly injuring one member of the security forces, the explosives-packed vehicle in which he was travelling failed to explode.
Today a Libyan National Army (LNA) bomb disposal team unloaded and made safe 17 shells, one tank missile and an air-burst mine from the partially-destroyed blue Nissan four-by-four.
It is likely that the bomber expected this deadly ordinance to explode when he detonated his own suicide vest. Had that occurred it seems certain that the men manning the checkpoint would have suffered death or serious injury and there would have been considerable surrounding structural damage.
In the wake of the lone attack just after one o’clock this morning, the area was locked down. Patrols were sent out in the expectation that the suicide bomber heralded a larger assault. It appears that no other militants were discovered and the highway is now once again open.
