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Libya militia takes control of Tripoli airport | Libya militia takes control of Tripoli airport |
(40 minutes later) | |
A heavily armed militia has taken over Libya's main airport in the capital, Tripoli, demanding the release of a leader who went missing on Sunday. | |
Militiamen from the al-Awfia brigade entered the airport with tanks and armoured vehicles and occupied the runway, forcing flights to be diverted. | |
It is unclear if the group's commander has been kidnapped or is being held for questioning by the government. | It is unclear if the group's commander has been kidnapped or is being held for questioning by the government. |
The group is refusing to leave until its demands are met. | The group is refusing to leave until its demands are met. |
'Chaotic' | |
The BBC's Rana Jawad, who was on the tarmac at Tripoli airport, said that at least two dozen armed militiamen are at the scene. | |
The brigade has placed a pick-up truck mounted with an anti-aircraft gun underneath each of the six planes on the tarmac, our correspondent says. | |
She adds adds that the situation is chaotic, although not overtly dangerous at the moment, with reports that the brigade are in negotiations with security officials. | |
Several trucks carrying Libyan National Army personnel had arrived at the scene, according to our correspondent. | |
"They are on the runway, in the car park, everywhere," an official told Reuters news agency. | |
A representative from the brigade's hometown of Tarhouna in western Libya is at the airport to negotiate with the rebels and convince them to give up their action. | A representative from the brigade's hometown of Tarhouna in western Libya is at the airport to negotiate with the rebels and convince them to give up their action. |
Airport sources told the BBC that at least three airlines have cancelled their flights. | |
Several international airlines have resumed flights to Libya, since the end of the conflict which toppled Muammar Gaddafi. | |
Libya's interim government took control of the airport in Tripoli this April, taking over from militia fighters who had been providing security in the absence of an official force. |