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Libyan PM Ali Zeidan seized by armed men Libyan PM Ali Zeidan seized by armed men
(35 minutes later)
Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has been seized by armed men from a hotel in the capital, Tripoli. Libyan PM Ali Zeidan has been seized by armed men in the capital, Tripoli.
Mr Zeidan was taken at dawn "by gunmen to an unknown place for unknown reasons", said a statement on the government's website. Mr Zeidan was taken from his hotel at dawn "by gunmen to an unknown place for unknown reasons", said a statement on the government's website.
The details of the incident are unclear - sources say Mr Zeidan was arrested by an anti-crime department militia, but others that he had been kidnapped. A former rebel group loosely allied to the government said it had arrested him following a prosecutor's warrant.
On Tuesday he called on the West to help stop militancy in Libya. The government has been under pressure to explain how US commandos were able to seize senior al-Qaeda suspect Anas al-Liby in Libya last Saturday.
In an interview with the BBC on Monday, Mr Zeidan had said Libya was being used as a base to export weapons throughout the region. He is wanted in the US over the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
He called on the West to help stop militancy in Libya. On Monday, Libya demanded an explanation from the US ambassador over the incident.
Cabinet summonedCabinet summoned
The BBC's Rana Jawad, in Tripoli, says the details remain unclear, but that Mr Zeidan was taken by armed men from a hotel in the city in the early hours of the morning. The BBC's Rana Jawad, in Tripoli, says the details of Mr Zeidan's capture remain unclear, but that he was taken by armed men from a hotel he resides in in the early hours of the morning.
Al-Arabiya TV station broadcast images which showed Mr Zeidan looking dishevelled and being escorted by what the station said were armed men.
The government website said he had been taken "to an unknown place for unknown reasons by a group thought to be from the Tripoli Revolutionaries Control Room and the Committee for Fighting Crime".The government website said he had been taken "to an unknown place for unknown reasons by a group thought to be from the Tripoli Revolutionaries Control Room and the Committee for Fighting Crime".
It said the cabinet had had been summoned for an immediate meeting under the leadership of the deputy minister. The government statement did not name the hotel, but a woman at the Corinthia Hotel - where the prime minister lives - confirmed the incident happened there when armed men entered the building.
She said no-one had been killed.
Our correspondent says there are a number of militia groups operating in Libya which are nominally attached to government ministries but often act independently.
One of them - the Operations Cell of Revolutionaries - said it was acting on the orders of the prosecutor general in accordance with Libya's penal code.
The ministry of justice says no arrest warrant has been issued for Mr Zeidan.
Libya's cabinet has been summoned for an immediate meeting under the leadership of the deputy prime minister.
'Act of sabotage'
Two years after the revolt which overthrew Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's government has been struggling to contain rival tribal militias and Islamist militants who control parts of the country.Two years after the revolt which overthrew Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's government has been struggling to contain rival tribal militias and Islamist militants who control parts of the country.
On Monday, Libya demanded an explanation from the US ambassador over the capture of suspected al-Qaeda leader Anas al-Liby in Tripoli. In an interview with the BBC on Monday, Mr Zeidan had said Libya was being used as a base to export weapons throughout the region, and called on the West to help stop militancy in Libya.
Mr Liby was wanted over the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He was seized by US commandos in an early morning raid on Saturday.
Our correspondent says that it is too soon to link Mr Zeidan's seizure with the capture of Mr Liby.
Last month Mr Zeidan visited the UK and appealed for British help to remove weapons from the country amid fears of increased arms smuggling to Syria.Last month Mr Zeidan visited the UK and appealed for British help to remove weapons from the country amid fears of increased arms smuggling to Syria.
In April he urged Libyans to back their government in the face of "people who want to destabilise the country".In April he urged Libyans to back their government in the face of "people who want to destabilise the country".
He also complained at that time of other attacks and "acts of sabotage" carried out by separate groups, against the interior ministry and national TV headquarters.He also complained at that time of other attacks and "acts of sabotage" carried out by separate groups, against the interior ministry and national TV headquarters.