Libyan protesters storm local NTC HQ
People protest against the National Transitional Council and its chairman, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, in the city center of Benghazi, Libya, on December 16, 2011.
Angry protesters have stormed the local headquarters of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) in the eastern coastal city of Benghazi after besieging the building for hours.
Witnesses said the incident occurred late on Saturday after wounded veteran revolutionary fighters held a demonstration outside the NTC's headquarters in Benghazi -- situated 651 kilometers (404 miles) east of the capital Tripoli -- and a group of them stormed the building.
Protesters, armed with stones and iron bars, ransacked the offices. Some people even hurled empty plastic bottles at NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil as he came out to calm down the crowd.
“Go away, go away," protesters chanted as Abdul Jalil spoke. Demonstrators also damaged a vehicle used by the NTC chairman.
A brigade of guards finally secured a passage, allowing Abdel Jalil and other NTC members to leave the building.
The incident happened two days after NTC Deputy Chairman Abdul Hafiz Ghoga was manhandled by university students in Benghazi.
Benghazi is the birthplace of the Libyan uprising, which ousted former dictator Muammar Gaddafi in August 2011.
Protesters have been holding regular demonstrations in Benghazi for several weeks, demanding the ouster of Gaddafi-era officials and more transparency about how the NTC is spending Libyan assets.
MP/AS/HGL
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Game Over Mubarak
Jan 22, 2012 9:3 AM
Finally, my Libyan brothers and sisters. Soon together we will destroy both the SCAF and the NTC and we will form an alliance with the Tunisians together to counter all foreign influence. Wahhabis are conquering the Holy Mecca and we Egyptians are not gonna let them take over the Al Azhar
Like 9 | Dislike 1 | Reply
zanzibarian
Jan 22, 2012 5:31 AM
This is just a begining. Let us wait and see, still more to come
Ironfistin reply to zanzibarian
1/22/2012 8:27:31 AM
BenGhazi was the first town to be occupied by and NATO long before any Security Council resolution. We never saw any demonstration against Gaddafi in BenGhazi. May be they are going to be librators of Lybia. But you are right this is just the beginning with 12000 USA troops on the ground the rest of Lybia is not going to sit around either.
LOOK
Jan 22, 2012 12:33 AM
I DID EXPACT THIS.IN LYBIA WEST SEE IT IS TOO SOON NOT HAVING ANY UNREST SO TO PUT PRESUER ON NTC& NTC FIRST WANT GET RICH IN CASE THING GOES IN DIFFERENT WAY & THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO RUN A COUNTRY,THE ONLY BE A GOOD MAN IT DOES NOT MAKE YOU GOOD DOCTOR OR IN ANY PORFESION
