Libya Raid Succeeds in a Land Where Gunmen Roam Freely

In a daring predawn raid in Tripoli, US Special Operations Command forces captured an al-Qaeda leader wanted in connection with the 1998 bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed more than 250 people. The operation underscores how Libya, with its competing militias and weak central g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bloomberg Businessweek 2013-09, p.1
Main Author: Topol, Sarah
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
al-Liby, Anas
Arrests
Bombings
Diplomatic & consular services
Fugitives
Islamism
Militia groups
Raids
Terrorism
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Summary:In a daring predawn raid in Tripoli, US Special Operations Command forces captured an al-Qaeda leader wanted in connection with the 1998 bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed more than 250 people. The operation underscores how Libya, with its competing militias and weak central government, has become a haven for terrorists. The Pentagon confirmed that US forces captured al-Qaeda leader Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, known as Anas al-Liby, in the early hours of Saturday morning. Al-Liby's presence in Libya is unsurprising given the chaos that has reigned since the 2011 civil war there deposed dictator Muammar Qaddafi, opening another stateless place for Islamic radicals to operate with impunity. While al-Liby is not thought to have participated in organizing the 2012 attack on the US embassy, he underscores the ease with which Islamist militants and radicals can live in post-Qaddafi Libya under the protection or support of local militias.
ISSN:0007-7135
2162-657X