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Gunmen 'abduct mayor of Tripoli Abdelraouf Beitelmal' Libyan conflict: Gunmen free Tripoli Mayor Abdelraouf Beitelmal
(about 5 hours later)
The mayor of Tripoli has disappeared, with city authorities saying he was kidnapped while other officials say he is in custody and being interrogated. The mayor of the Libyan capital Tripoli was released hours after he was seized by gunmen, his family says.
The Libyan capital's municipal authorities say armed gunmen took Abdelraouf Beitelmal from his home. Abdelraouf Beitelmal was taken from his home early on Thursday. He is said to be unharmed.
However, public officials told the BBC he was being held and questioned for an unspecified crime. Sources close to his family told the BBC that the attackers had fired guns and struck his son with a rifle.
However the head of investigations at the general prosecutor's office told the BBC that the mayor had been taken into custody to be questioned.
The official, Sediq AlSour, gave no reasons for what he says was a legal arrest.
Government and militia forces have vied for power in Libya since the uprising in 2011.Government and militia forces have vied for power in Libya since the uprising in 2011.
Sources close to Mr Beitelmal's family told the BBC that gunmen had stormed the family home after midnight. The gunmen who seized Mr Beitelmal reportedly fired shots before entering his home shortly after midnight, the family sources said.
They claim the men fired at the house and beat Mr Beitelmal's son with a Kalashnikov before taking the mayor away. Later on Thursday Tripoli's municipal council blamed "a foolish party" for the operation, suspended work in protest.
In a statement, Tripoli's municipal council blamed "a foolish party" for the abduction, and said it was suspending its work in protest.
The council further said such acts "threaten the establishment of the state and its civilian life".
However, Sediq AlSour, head of the investigations bureau at the attorney general's office, told the BBC that the mayor was in custody and being interrogated by the by the General Investigation Directorate.
Mr AlSour did not give a reason for his detention, as his office is not in charge of the arrest.
Armed groups in Libya are known to threaten and attack government officials and civilians.Armed groups in Libya are known to threaten and attack government officials and civilians.
Moreover, it is often hard to assess the legality of an arrest because of the overlap between militias and government forces. Moreover, it is often hard to assess the legality of an arrest because of the overlap between militias and government forces.
The country has been in chaos since Nato-backed forces overthrew longstanding ruler Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. The country has been in chaos since the overthrow of longstanding ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.