By Libya Herald reporters.
Benghazi, 20 November 2017
A 17 year-old neighbour has been arrested following the discovery of the body of a kidnapped nine year-old boy inside a freezer in Benghazi’s Al-Aslam district.
Security sources say that Abdul Raouf Ali Abhairi Ojali was seized a week ago near his home and a ransom of LD2 million demanded from his parents. The boy’s father, Ali Ojali, recently appointed the head of the Benghazi Rebuilding Committee, said he could not afford it.
A medical report said that Ojali had died on Friday and his body had then placed in the freezer. The cause of death was not specified but one report said death had been caused by starvation.
A 17 year-old youth has been arrested suspected of the kidnapping and murder. The attorney-general’s office in Benghazi has announced that it is taking over the case.
There has been an outraged backlash on social media over the murder with posts accusing the police of not doing their job properly. Many messages have carried a picture of a smiling young boy with a school satchel which is supposed to be Ojali. The picture is in fact of an Iranian child.
