Armed group forces closure of Libya's Interior Ministry

PanARMENIAN.Net - An armed group forced the closure of Libya's Interior Ministry on Tuesday, July 2 emptying the building of officials before leaving the scene, police said, according to Reuters.

An Interior Ministry source said the group was demanding the resignation of the minister because of the government's reliance on some militias for security, but this could not immediately be verified.

"An unknown group dressed in fatigues arrived and demanded that we close the Interior Ministry," a police officer said. The armed group said it wanted police and army to be in charge of security, he added.

Tuesday's incident happened in the evening when there were few people inside the building, said the Interior Ministry source, who was not on the scene but familiar with the matter.

"There were not many guards inside, so to avoid any clashes, the ministry was closed," he said.

Asked what the group wanted, he said: "They were calling for the minister to resign because of his dependence on" a force known as the Supreme Security Committee.

Last week, some of the SSC's members clashed with a rival militia in Tripoli, highlighting the rivalries between heavily armed groups roaming the country since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.

That violence, in which 10 people were killed and more than 100 injured, led to the removal of the defense minister.