#libya The moment of freedom for PM’s kidnapped aide

Ali Ghatus is warmly welcomed back to freedom

Tripoli, 9 April 2013:
The prime ministerial adviser Ali Ghatus is seen here as he was greeted by friends and colleagues at the end of his nine-day kidnap ordeal.
Seized by armed men when driving back to Tripoli from Benghazi on 31 March, there were serious concerns for Ghatus’ safety.  Beyond announcing that he had been abducted, the government said little about the adviser’s plight.
It is still not clear how forces under the control of the Ministry of Defence knew where to find Ghatus in a Tripoli suburb, nor indeed in which part of the capital he was actually located. Equally unclear is what, if anything the kidnappers demanded and whether or not the adviser’s release was the result of a deal.
Ghatus himself was saying only that he has no idea who his abductors were. He has now back home in Misrata with his family. It is not known if he has yet given a statement on his ordeal to investigators.
libya herald