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| Libyan PM Ali Zeidan seized by armed men | Libyan PM Ali Zeidan seized by armed men |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Libyan PM Ali Zeidan has been seized by armed men in the capital, Tripoli. | Libyan PM Ali Zeidan has been seized by armed men in the capital, Tripoli. |
| Mr Zeidan was taken from his hotel before dawn "by gunmen to an unknown place for unknown reasons", said a government statement. | |
| A former rebel group loosely allied to the government said it had arrested him following a prosecutor's warrant. The government has denied this. | |
| The government has been under pressure after US commandos seized senior al-Qaeda suspect Anas al-Liby in Libya. | |
| Mr Liby was snatched on Saturday in Tripoli. He is wanted in the US over the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. | |
| On Monday, Libya demanded an explanation from the US ambassador over the incident. | On Monday, Libya demanded an explanation from the US ambassador over the incident. |
| The government is also struggling to contain rival tribal militias and Islamist militants who control parts of the country, two years after the revolt which overthrew Muammar Gaddafi. | |
| Cabinet summoned | Cabinet summoned |
| 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. | 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. | 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". |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. |
| However, state-run National Libyan TV quoted Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani as saying that the prosecutor general had issued no such order. | |
| Libya's cabinet has been summoned for an immediate meeting under the leadership of the deputy prime minister. | Libya's cabinet has been summoned for an immediate meeting under the leadership of the deputy prime minister. |
| UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague condemned the capture and called for Mr Zeidan's immediate release. | |
| "It is vital that the process of political transition in Libya is maintained. The government and people of Libya have our full support at this concerning time," he said. | |
| 'Act of sabotage' | 'Act of sabotage' |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. |