#Libya defence minister caught in firefight

Al Barghati’s car was not the target of the shooting
Benghazi, Libya: Libya’s defence minister was unhurt on Saturday after being caught in a firefight between his bodyguards and ex-rebels at an airbase in the east of the country, his deputy told AFP.

Mohammad Al Barghati was leaving the airport in Tobruk, eastern Libya, when the shooting occurred, said Khalid Al Sharif.

“As the minister prepared to leave the airport by car, his bodyguards traded fire with angry soldiers and ex-rebels, but the minister was not hurt,” Sharif said.

Libya’s official LANA news agency said Al Barghati’s car was not the target of the shooting, blaming the incident on a clash between military units at the Tobruk airbase east of Benghazi during which “warning shots were fired”

Al Barghati had been meeting with military brass to discuss means of bolstering the armed forces, his ministry said.

A military official, who declined to be identified, said the incident occurred after a former deputy defence minister in charge of the national guard and vital installations refused a government decision to quit.
AFP.