Armed group seize Tripoli psychiatric hospital staff

By Houda Mzioudet.

Tripoli, 14 August 2013:

An armed group were reported to have yesterday kidnapped the head of Tripoli’s psychiatric hospital and three members of staff, according to Solidarity Press.

A medical source at Al-Razi Hospital for Neuro-psychiatric Diseases in Tripoli’s Hay Al-Andalous district was quoted by Solidarity saying that the gunmen who arrived in civilian vehicles, stormed in and kidnapped the director, Tarek Al-Jaziri, the IT Director, the head of nursing and the nutritionist. As a result, staff had decided to close the hospital and suspend work until further notice.

The report was confirmed to the Libya Herald by a separate member of staff.

Another, however, dismissed it as “totally untrue” when contacted. He said that the individuals taken had been summoned by the Libyan authorities for questioning. He did not state the reasons. He said that those who had taken them were in military uniform and had an official document summonsing them.

One member of staff had since been released, he said.