Originally published on October 10, 2013
Libya's Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was kidnapped by gunmen in the capital Tripoli on Thursday.
Gunmen entered the Corinthia hotel, where many diplomats and top government officials live, in civilian clothes. They then surrounded the prime minister and forced him outside the hotel.
Hotel guards were quoted by Reuters saying there were no shots fired or clashes during the incident.
One guard described it as an "arrest" while another told Reuters the men were militants.
According to Reuters, "Al-Arabiya television channel quoted Libya's justice minister as saying that Zeidan had been "kidnapped" and showed what it said were video stills of Zeidan frowning and wearing a grey shirt undone at the collar surrounded by several men in civilian clothes pressing closely around him."
According to reports, the prime minister was taken at dawn to an unknown destination and kidnapped for unknown reasons. The kidnappers are believed to be former rebels.
The kidnapping raises the stakes in the OPEC nation, where the regional factions are also seeking control over its oil wealth, which provides Libya with the vast bulk of government revenues.
