Libya militiamen storm Turkish hotel, kidnap manager

[Axa-]

Armed members of a Libyan militia have stormed a Turkish-owned hotel in the Libyan capital Tripoli, firing shots and detaining its Turkish manager after one of their members was told to pay a bill, news reports said.

Şükrü Koçak, the general manager of the luxury Rixos Hotel, said he was kidnapped and beaten. Speaking to CNN, Koçak said he was released only after the Turkish Embassy and other officials contacted the Libyan government.

The incident started late on Saturday after a member of a brigade from the western town of Zintan, identified as Ali Daw Zintani, was told to pay six months' worth of overdue charges or be forced to leave the hotel.

"He shot twice into the air and broke vases in the lobby. Then his men stormed in," a hotel employee told Reuters, as he pointed to a bullet hole in the ceiling of the reception area.

Koçak was taken to Zintani's office in the Fallah area of Tripoli where he said he was beaten, suffering injuries to his knees and a burst ear drum, causing him to lose hearing in his right ear, CNN reported. It's unclear if the damage to his hearing is permanent.

Turkey’s state-run Anatolia news agency reported that cameras and recorders of an Anatolia team were also seized.

Turkish Ambassador Ali Kemal Aydın, embassy officials and special police forces arrived at the hotel, and the Anatolia team and hotel personnel were evacuated, Anatolia reported on Saturday.

“Hopefully our brother country Libya will soon leave these troubles behind,” said Aydın. “Libyans have sympathy and positive thoughts about us Turks, so we don't see this incident as an attack from Libyans against Turks but rather the nonsensical attack of a militia group.”

The incident came at a time when Libya's new rulers are struggling to impose authority on a myriad of armed groups ahead of Libya's first free elections scheduled for June. The militias spearheaded the rebellion which ousted former Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi last year. Some of them still occupy government buildings and man checkpoints while answering only to their own commanders.

Interior Minister Fawzi Abdel A'al has warned the militias to put down their arms or face confrontation with the new national security forces.

"We don't hold the Libyan people responsible for this," Koçak said. "We know it is done by a few people. We were the first international company that returned to Libya in September. We like Libya and will continue liking Libya. We have held many events with high-level dignitaries attending and will continue doing so."

The hotel was closed for business on Saturday due to the security situation, but it will reopen for business by Monday, officials said.

The Rixos Hotel was again in the news last year. Some 35 foreign journalists were trapped in the hotel for five days as armed guards loyal to Gaddafi prevented them from leaving amid raging battle for the capital.


Libya militiamen storm Turkish hotel, kidnap manager

 

[LegionnairE]

Libyan government will need a very long time to disarm these street punks and build a conventional army. They are undisciplined and so they are acting disorderly it's not a big surprise. What kind of an army they will put together? An army slightly better than this

 

[revojam]

very old news..

 

[what]

AFRICA - Libya state seizes Turkish assets in the country

Libya state seizes Turkish assets in the country

Libyan authorities have seized the assets of 338 names, including Turkish companies and individuals, and frozen all transactions, daily Hürriyet reported.

The move is a reaction of the country’s old governing bodies ahead of their upcoming elections and may simply be a mistake, according to Emin Sazak, the head of Turkish Contractors Association. "It's a bit complicated right now," Sazak said. "We are following things closely."

The companies and individuals named are now incapable of makeing any and all transactions, according to daily Hürriyet. Out of the 338 names involved in the assets seizure, over 200 are individuals. Some are known to have close ties with the pre-revolution government in Libya.

General Director of the Rixos Hotels, Şükrü Koçak, and 54 Turkish staff members have begun the process of returning home. The hotel’s personnel have been receiving death threats and are now looking to return to Turkey. Koçak himself was kidnapped once by a militia leader frustrated with the amount of expenses he was billed after his stay at the hotel. Koçak was eventually released through the efforts of Turkish authorities.

"There is no stability in Libya right now," Rixos owner Fettah Tamince said. "They are all waiting for the elections."