On 13 August, an Iranian delegation arrived in Tripoli to join the investigation into the abduction of seven employees of the Iranian Red Crescent in Benghazi on 31 July. The Iranians are not expected to visit Benghazi, and will instead liaise with government authorities in Tripoli. The delegation is being led by Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, Hassan Gashgafi, and includes the chairman of the Iranian Red Crescent.
Libyan media reported that a group of armed rebels stormed a football pitch on 14 August, targeting seven players who were thought to be Qadhafi supporters. The report did not provide any further details. The Libyan Football Federation had already announced that a Libyan-Algerian football match scheduled for 9 September would be held in Rabat, Morocco, due to security concerns in Libya. Libyan media also reported that the one surviving member of the 5 August raid by Libyan security forces on a farm in Azizia to the south of the capital was a member of one of several alleged sleeper cells in the capital. Libyan intelligence also alleged that the survivor had been in touch with Saadi Al Qadhafi, the third son of the Muammar Qadhafi, currently residing in Nigeria. Libya’s official news agency reported the release of 140 detainees from detention facilities in Misratah, due to a lack of evidence for criminal charges. The detainees were being held in detention centres administered by the Ministry of Justice, according to Shouqi Armida, a Misratah council official in charge of prisoner affairs.
Gulf of Sidra and Cyrenaica
The security situation in Benghazi remains relativly stable. While a number of incidents have been reported in the city over the past week, overall levels of violence have seen a reduction. The Libyan media reported that employees at Benghazi’s Hawari Hospital have been on strike since 12 August, in protest over a lack of security at the hospital. According to the report; attacks against staff frequently involve injured rebels, who often target staff and patients. On 13 August, a gunman was reported to have attacked a police station in Benghazi; no further details were reported on the incident. The media spokesman for Benghazi’s Directorate of Security reported that a bomb detonated near a police patrol car at dawn on 14 August in the city. The driver of the patrol car was not injured, but an adjacent building sustained serious damage. A separate report claimed that Benghazi-based brigades, police, and security forces from the Ministries of Defence and Interior met on 14 August to discuss security measures in Benghazi over the end of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
