Terrorists in Benghazi attempt to kill Genral Hafter, blow up hotel

Benghazi, 29 July:

General Khalifa Hafter, the commander of Libyan ground forces, escaped an assassination attempt this afternoon, Sunday, when gunmen fired on the convoy he was traveling in. He was unhurt.

It is not known if the attack was linked to Saturday’s assassination in the city of Colonel Suleiman Buzraidah, a former Qaddafi-era intelligence officer who joined the revolution last year.

There has been a spate of assassinations of former Qaddafi regime officials in Benghazi in the past few weeks – 13 so far.  Locals blame an unknown shadowy Islamist group which they say has a death list of 106 Qaddafi-era figures. However, in the case of Hifter, one of the commanders in Libya’s disastrous Chad war, he split the dictator 26 years ago.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that 60-kg bomb has been defused at the city’s Tibesti Hotel.  The device was found in the hotel basement.

The Tibesti is Benghazi’s top hotel and is much frequented by visiting businessmen and politicians as well as diplomats and NTC and government figures.