By Aimen Amzein and Noora Ibrahim.
Benghazi, 27 June 2014:
An Egyptian gardener who was reported as having been shot . . .[restrict]in the leg in the moments leading up to Salwa Bugaighis’ murder has died in unexplained circumstances after he was being questioned by Benghazi police.
The spokesman for Benghazi Medical Centre (BMC) told the Libya Herald that the man, who has been identified as Salem Ahmed Abdul Qader, arrived at the hospital by ambulance earlier today. He was pronounced dead on arrival and his body showed signs of torture.
The events prior to Abdul Qader’s death remain unclear. He was taken for questioning by police in Benghazi’s Fweihat district after Bugaighis’ murder but it is not known exactly when or where he died.
Benghazi Joint Security Room (BJSR) has said it would be launching an investigation into his death. The spokesman for BJSR, Ibrahim Al-Sharaa, told this paper that officials were waiting for a postmortem report from the BMC to ascertain whether Abdul Qader died in police custody or en route to the hospital.
Operation Dignity has said it could not comment on Qader’s death other than that it could not explain it.
Spokesman for Dignity forces Mohamed Hejazi has claimed, however, that the perpetrators of Bugaighis’ murder were now known. He said pictures from the slain lawyer’s Facebook account posted shortly before the attack showed vehicles from Libya Shield, identified by their licence plate numbers, surveilling Bugaighis’ home. He alleged that on the basis of this evidence her killers must have been members of the group.
Hejazi’s statements have not been corroborated by any other source.
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