By Nihal Zaroug.
Tripoli, 7 November:
Abdel Basset Abu Naama, a former revolutionary and National Transitional Council (NTC) representative for the town of . . .[restrict]Tarhouna, was discovered dead in a locked vehicle on Monday. Abu Naama had been abducted on Sunday by armed men, tortured and died from a fatal gunshot to the head.
Security officials have not provided a timeframe for the events that led to his death and have no leads on the perpetrators. However it is believed the killing was related to rivalry among families in the town. This is what was alleged by a relative of the deceased, Abdul Hakim Abu Naama, in a statement made to Ajwaa Leblad News. The relative also revealed the victim was concerned with the lack of stability in Tarhouna and feared for the security of his family, so much so that he had relocated them to Tripoli.
Libya’s weak police force is unable to provide explanations for such fatalities, as they lack the manpower and expertise to conduct murder investigations. Security forces are up against armed militias, an uneasy task exacerbated by limited resources.
Those who knew Abu Naama, used social network sites to offer commiserations. Mahmud Shammam, former spokesman for the NTC, expressed deep regret for the loss of a man, who he said he knew to be a patriotic individual who worked for his town and nation. Suleiman Dogha, a Libyan journalist, paid tribute on his Facebook page, saying that the Abu Naama was among Tarhouna’s knights and a brave man.
Tarhouna is known to have counter-revolutionaries on whom the local instability is blamed. The town has also been linked to former regime sympathizes from Bani Walid. This appeared evident when armed men blocked security forces from Misrata en route to Bani Walid, last May. Furthermore, there was an attempt to murder the deputy head of Tarhouna’s military council, Colonel Abduallah Hussein, and a fellow soldier, Colonel Salim Soussi, last April. Pro-Qaddafi factions were believed to be behind the assaulst. [/restrict]
