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By Ahmed Elumami and Tom Westcott.
Tripoli, 2 March 2014:
Protestors stormed the General National Congress (GNC) this evening in an attack that reportedly . . .[restrict]left a number of Congress members injured.
GNC spokesman Omar Hemidan confirmed to the Libya Herald that some Congress members had been beaten by protesters but said he was unable to give further details. According to reports circulating on social media websites, Misratan Congressman Abdulrahman Swehli was one of those injured and was taken to hospital with shot wounds.
Other reports have said that Zawia Congressman Mohamed Al-Kilani was “arrested” by the protestors. Prime Minister Ali Zeidan last year accused Kilani, regarded as a radical Islamist, of being behind his brief kidnapping.
Hemidan said that the group of protestors, armed with knives and sticks, stormed in at the end of today’s GNC sitting. When asked why they had not been stopped from entering by GNC security, he hesitated and appeared not to know what to say.
Tonight’s attack is believed to have been provoked by an incident last night where a peaceful demonstration against the GNC’s extension yesterday was broken up and a number of protestors were arrested.
This evening, at 9 pm, the main road outside Congress was closed by the protestors who used tyres, rubbish and pieces of wood to block it. Around 150 people could be seen on the road. [/restrict]
