French consul in Libya's Benghazi survives gun attack

Source : Your Middle East

France's honorary consul in Benghazi, Jean Dufriche, has escaped unharmed after gunmen fired on his car in the eastern Libyan city, a source close to him and a security official said on Friday.

The unidentified attackers shot at Dufriche's car from another vehicle as he was returning home late Thursday with his wife, said Mohammed Hijazi, security services spokesman in Benghazi.

The couple were leaving a hospital at around 11:00 PM (2300 GMT), when the gunmen opened up.

"At least ten bullets hit the vehicle, but no one was wounded," Hijazi said.

"Dr Dufriche and his wife returned to the hospital where security forces took charge of them."

A source close to the honorary consul said Dufriche was at the wheel when gunmen pulled alongside and fired at him several times with a "handgun".

The source said there were at least seven bullet holes in Dufriche's car.

"Dufriche and his wife were not wounded and were able to leave Benghazi for Tunis on Friday," the same source added.

Benghazi, cradle of the 2011 uprising that toppled former dictator Moamer Kadhafi, has seen several attacks targeting the security forces and Western interests in recent months.

On September 11 last year, Islamist militants attacked the US consulate in the city, killing ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

A car bomb targeted France's embassy in the capital Tripoli on April 23 this year, devastating the building and wounding two French security personnel.

© AFP 2013

Bomb Destroys Police Station in Libya's Benghazi

Source : Fars News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- A bomb destroyed a police station in the Eastern Libyan city of Benghazi early on Thursday but caused no casualties, a security source said.

"An explosive device was thrown at Al-Baraka police station in Benghazi, destroying what remained of the building after the bomb attack that targeted it last weekend," the source said.

"The explosion caused no casualties," he added.

An AFP journalist at the scene confirmed that the blast destroyed the building at around 7:00 am (0500 GMT).

A wave of assassinations and bombings has swept Benghazi, the cradle of the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, in recent months.

Thursday's attack came after several weeks of relative calm in the city, where the authorities have struggled to re-establish security.

Attacks in Benghazi have generally been attributed to Sunni extremists, most notably last year's September 11 assault on the US consulate that killed four Americans including ambassador Chris Stevens.

In the capital Tripoli, gunmen have been surrounding the foreign ministry since Sunday, calling for the sacking from government posts of former officials from the ousted Gaddafi regime.

On Tuesday, the groups extended their blockade to the justice ministry and gunmen briefly occupied the finance ministry on Monday.

Angry policemen also invaded the interior ministry on Sunday and Monday, demanding higher pay and promotions.

Former rebels guarding the headquarters of Libya's national television station on Sunday briefly blockaded the building, although broadcasts were uninterrupted.

The rise in violence came after a car bombing on April 23 outside the French embassy in Tripoli wounded two French security guards and caused serious damage