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Tripoli, 7 February 2014:
Tripoli Local Council has urged people not to participate in protests planned today across Libya against the extension . . .[restrict]of the General National Congress.
“The Local Council of Tripoli appreciates every person’s right to demonstrate and express his/her opinion in a peaceful manner,” said head of Tripoli Local Council Sadat Al-Badri. He added, however, that information regarding the security situation should be broadcast, to make people fully aware of the potential danger of attending today’s protests.
“Based on alarming security information on the intended escalation of the situation,” Badri said, the council felt that to allow the demonstration to take place would be “suicidal.”
A group of Qaddafi-loyalists might try to hijack the demonstration, which has been planned for some months, he said. These supporters of the old regime had admitted plotting to carry out crimes at protests today, including randomly shooting into the crowd, in a message broadcast on a number of media outlets and satellite TV channels, he said. Their intention was to destabilise security, Badri added.
The Benghazi Joint Security Room (BJSR) warned people against approaching the headquarters of the Armed Forces, police stations or prisons. Orders had been issued to use force against anyone violating this, the BJSR said, in a statement. The precautions are being taken following intelligence information that the planned protests may be used as a cover under which a group might try and commit crimes, including trying to release prisoners held at the city’s Al-Kwafah jail.
The Commander of the BJSR, Abdullah Saaiti, drove through the city’s streets last night, checking on the security situation. The BJSR developed a plan to ensure the town was secured in preparation for whatever might happen today, including the implementation of checkpoints and security patrols. [/restrict]
