Libya: call for urgent investigation into attempted assassination of minister

The Libyan High Council of State has called for an urgent investigation into the attempted assassination of Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, Anadolu has reported. The council issued a statement on Sunday evening hours after Bashagha escaped from the attempt to the west of Tripoli.

“Attorney General Ibrahim Masoud should launch a prompt and impartial investigation to hold accountable those who were involved in the shooting at the ministerial convoy,” said the council. “We also call on everyone to exercise restraint, follow legal methods through state institutions in order to handle the situation, and allow the competent authorities to investigate facts about the incident by legitimate means.”

The Libyan Ministry of the Interior announced on Sunday that Bashagha had survived an assassination attempt while returning to his home in the Janzur region. “The attackers used an armoured vehicle and fired directly at the convoy of the minister using automatic weapons.”

The new Libyan executive authority denounced the incident. In a joint statement, the Presidential Council and the government called on the judicial and police authorities to open a fair and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the incident and prosecute the perpetrators.

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