By Ajnadin Mustafa.
Tripoli, 7 September 2015:
The president of the continuing General National Congress, Nuri Abu Sahmain, has ordered the government, the . . .[restrict]army and the intelligence service to tighten security against supposed foreign agents in the country. He also ordered them to investigate and bring proceedings against anyone, particularly those in the military, who had been involved in contacts with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) without the GNC’s permission.
In separate statements to each, he ordered security at ports, airports and border crossings to be stepped up and foreigners to be questioned about their motives for visiting Libya. He said that there were people pretending to be journalists who were putting national security at risk.
The army chief of staff was told to provide the names of officers who had been in communication with UNSMIL and other organisations.
The call follows an attack by Abu Sahmain on Leon and UNSMIL for allegedly getting in touch with military leaders in western Libya to arrange a meeting with them about security for the planned Government of National Accord. In an angry letter to the UNSMIL head published on Sunday, he accused him of violating Libya’s sovereignty by talking to military officials without his permission as supreme commander in chief, and threatened to take legal action against him.
There are reports that the order is already being implemented, with foreigners arriving at Mitiga now complaining of being subjected to intense interrogation.
The head of the military council in Sabratha is meanwhile reported saying that he had been invited to met Leon but that he would not be going. [/restrict]
