2013 Libyan Coup D'état Attempt
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The 2013 Libyan coup d'état attempt was a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
attempt by a group of members of the
General National Congress The General National Congress or General National Council (GNC; ar, المؤتمر الوطني العام, Berber: Agraw Amuran Amatay) was the legislative authority of Libya for two years following the end of the First Libyan Civil War. It w ...
to take control of the country from Libyan Prime Minister
Ali Zeidan Ali Zeidan (sometimes written as Zidan; ar, علي زيدان; born 15 December 1950) is a former Prime Minister of Libya. He was appointed by the General National Congress on 14 October 2012, and took office on 14 November after Congress approv ...
. Zeidan was kidnapped in the early hours of the 10 October by armed gunmen and was then released several hours later after a pro-government militia stormed the site where he was being held. Following his release Zeidan claimed the incident was an attempted coup orchestrated by two militias in line with members of the GNC opposed to Zeidan.


Background

Following the
Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...
, the new Libyan government lacks an effective police force and military. Whilst the government attempts to build up their own centralised security forces the Libyan Government has coopted and employed various militias. Although under the pay of the defence and interior ministries, many of these groups are not wholly under the control of or loyal to the Libyan Government. On 5 October 2013
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
"
Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...
" operators captured
Anas al-Liby Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih al-Ruqai'i, ar, نزيه عبد الحميد نبيه الرقيعي  Libyan pronunciation: known by the alias Abu Anas al-Libi ( ; ar, ابو أنس الليبي  Libyan pronunciation: ; 30 March 1964; or 14 ...
in
Tripoli, Libya Tripoli (; ar, طرابلس الغرب, translit= Ṭarābulus al-Gharb , translation=Western Tripoli) is the capital and largest city of Libya, with a population of about 1.1 million people in 2019. It is located in the northwest of Libya o ...
. Al-Liby had worked as a computer analyst for al-Qaeda and was wanted in the United States for his part in the
1998 United States embassy bombings The 1998 United States embassy bombings were attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998. More than 200 people were killed in nearly simultaneous truck bomb explosions in two East African cities, one at the United States Embassy in Dar es Salaam, ...
. A day after Al-Liby was captured, he was in military custody on the ship USS ''San Antonio'' in the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
. He will be sent to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
for criminal prosecution. U.S. officials claimed that the Libyan government had approved of the raid, although the Libyan Government officially denied any involvement and called the incident a kidnapping. In spite of the Libyan government's official denials, many Libyans believed their government to have been involved, or to have at least approved of the raid. As a result of this, the Islamist government was strongly criticized, and an anti-government protest was held in Benghazi on Monday 7 of October.


Events


Capture

In the early hours of Thursday 10 October 2013 Zeidan was kidnapped from the Corinthia Hotel in
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
by armed militants and taken to an undisclosed location. The group of up to 150 militants had seemingly arrived at the hotel in pick-up trucks, and then a large group had entered the building with some militants remaining in the reception whilst others headed to the 21st floor, where Zeidan was staying. The militants scuffled with Zeidan's bodyguards, before seizing him. Zeidan offered no resistance as he was being led away, and the militants led him out of the hotel at around 5:15 AM. Nobody was killed in Zeidan's seizure. Zeidan later claimed that the kidnappers did not appear to have a fully developed plan, and that his kidnappers were unsure of where to take him following his abduction. Zeidan claimed that his kidnappers initially attempted to take him to Zawiya, but then decided to take him to Sha'ab sea front area of Tripoli, before finally settling on taking him to the CCA building in Fornaj. Zeidan also mention that the streets of Tripoli were devoid of security patrols during the episode.


Confusion

The kidnapping caused confusion for several hours, and many in Tripoli feared that a coup was underway. The Libyan Prime Ministers Office denied early reports of a kidnapping, and dispelled such claims as rumors on its Facebook page. The Office later acknowledged the kidnapping, and claimed that they had been coerced by the kidnappers to deny any reports. Police units left the Corinthia hotel area and the Prime Ministers Office, and were instead replaced with anti-government militiamen who claimed that Zeidan had been arrested. Abdel-Moneim al-Hour, an official with the interior ministry's anti-crime committee, also claimed that Zeidan was under arrest and would be charged with violating state security. In response to the developing crisis the Libyan Cabinet met for an emergency meeting at the Electricity Ministry. The Zintan militia, one of the strongest armed groups in Libya, sided with the Government, and mobilised units and threatened to move on
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
and "level" the bases of the militias responsible for the kidnapping. The group Libyan Revolutionaries Operations Room said they abducted Zeidan as a reaction to the government of Libya's involvement in the American capture of
Anas al-Liby Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih al-Ruqai'i, ar, نزيه عبد الحميد نبيه الرقيعي  Libyan pronunciation: known by the alias Abu Anas al-Libi ( ; ar, ابو أنس الليبي  Libyan pronunciation: ; 30 March 1964; or 14 ...
, and his statements in late September calling for an international force to be sent to Libya to disarm and liquidate the revolutionary militias that worked with NATO to overthrow and kill Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
. The group also claimed that they had been acting "on the prosecutor's orders", although the public prosecutor's office denied having issued a warrant for Zeidan's arrest. GNC President
Nouri Abusahmain Nouri Abusahmain ( ar, نوري أبو سهمين; born October 25, 1956) is a Libyan politician. He is a major figure on the Islamist side of the 2014 Libyan Conflict and founder of the LROR group which is considered "terrorist" by the intern ...
visited Zeidan and his kidnappers for some 20 minutes, attempting to persuade the kidnappers to release him. Deputy Defence Minister Khaled al-Sharrif arrived with Abusahmain, and remained at the building for several hours after Abusahmain had left, also trying to persuade the kidnappers to release Zeidan. Sharrif eventually left to report to the GNC.


Release

The building where Zeidan was being held was surrounded by local residents of Fornaj and pro-Government units, including the First Support Brigade under the command of Haitham Tajouri, and the 106 Brigade. The First Support Brigade attempted to negotiate with Zeidan's captors, however ultimately Zeidan was freed after the 106 Brigade and local residents stormed the building. By the time of his release, Zeidan had been held for less than six hours.


Aftermath

The kidnapping was condemned by the US, UK, France, and the UN, who all also pledged their support for Libya's transition to democracy. Following Zeidan's release the Libyan Government released a statement blaming the kidnapping on two groups of ex-rebels; the Operations Cell of Libyan Revolutionaries and Counter Crime Agency. Despite having claimed earlier responsibility for the kidnapping, following Zeidan's release the group denied having played any role in the kidnapping, and claimed that any statements to the contrary in the media were untrue. At a press conference later the same day GNC President
Nouri Abusahmain Nouri Abusahmain ( ar, نوري أبو سهمين; born October 25, 1956) is a Libyan politician. He is a major figure on the Islamist side of the 2014 Libyan Conflict and founder of the LROR group which is considered "terrorist" by the intern ...
claimed responsibility for establishing the Libyan Revolutionaries Operations Room in July 2013, claiming he had done so in order to protect Tripoli and various state institutions. Abusahmain denied however that LROR was acting under any orders from him. A source in the Attorney General's Office revealed to Libya Herald on 10 October that Abdelmonem Al-Said, the head of the Counter Crime Agency in Tripoli's Fornaj district, was under investigation by the Attorney General for his role in the kidnapping of Zeidan. The source also claimed that the arrest warrant supposedly signed by the Attorney General was a forgery, and that several other security officials were believed to have been aware of the planned kidnapping in the week leading up to it, but had not acted.


Accusations of guilt

In a TV address to the nation on 11 October, Zeidan called the incident an attempted coup d'état, and blamed it on an unnamed political party in the GNC. Zeidan claimed that the party had previously failed to rally enough votes in the GNC to dismiss Zeidan from his post of Prime Minister by constitutional means, and so had instead resorted to force. Zeidan also vowed a strong response to his kidnappers, and signaled the possibility of an imminent crackdown by the Libyan Government. Zeidan also stated that a crisis committee, including revolutionaries, had been formed, and that previously delayed funds for police and security forces were now being dispensed by the Central Bank of Libya. Zeidan also denied that
Nouri Abusahmain Nouri Abusahmain ( ar, نوري أبو سهمين; born October 25, 1956) is a Libyan politician. He is a major figure on the Islamist side of the 2014 Libyan Conflict and founder of the LROR group which is considered "terrorist" by the intern ...
, the President of the GNC, had played any role in the kidnapping. At a press conference on the afternoon of 20 October, Zeidan named several of those he accused as responsible for his kidnapping. Zeidan claimed that Mustafa Treiki and Mohamed al-Kilani, both of whom are
Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
members of the
General National Congress The General National Congress or General National Council (GNC; ar, المؤتمر الوطني العام, Berber: Agraw Amuran Amatay) was the legislative authority of Libya for two years following the end of the First Libyan Civil War. It w ...
for Zawiya, were the political leadership behind the kidnapping. Kilani in particular is regarded as being a radical Islamist. During the Libyan Civil War both Kilani and Treiki had served in a rebel brigade known as the Zawiya Martyrs Brigade, with Kilani serving as the brigades commander whilst Treiki had been a leading member. The two have been considered close to the
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), also known as ''Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya'' ( ar, الجماعة الإسلامية المقاتلة بليبيا), was an armed Islamist group. Militants participated in the 2011 Liby ...
, although neither are members. Kilani had also previously been a key figure in the GNC who had pushed for the storming of Bani Walid in October 2012, and had also served in a military capacity during the siege. Others named by Zeidan included Abdul Hakkim Belazi; the official spokesman for the Counter Crime Agency, and a man named Ramadan Zaamit. Zeidan also claimed that whilst he was being detained at the Counter Crime Agency building on Fornaj he was interrogated by Abdelmonem Al-Said; the local head of the CCA, as well as by Adel Al-Said and Abdulraouf Al-Minae. Zeidan also claimed that his mobile phone had been taken during his detention, but that his service provider had helped recover it. The phone was eventually found on GNC premises, where it had been taken by one of Zeidan's kidnappers.


Response by alleged kidnappers

Treiki and Kilani in turn called a press conference for the evening of the 20 October to respond to Zeidan's claims, which they denied, calling Zeidan a "liar." Instead they claimed Zeidan was attempting to blame them in order to distract from his own failures, and claimed Zeidan was trying to emerge from the incident as a hero. Treiki and Kilani did however admit to having previously unsuccessfully attempted to organise a vote of
no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
in the GNC in order to topple Zeidan's Government. Sharing the platform with Treiki and Kilani at the press conference was Abdelmonem al-Said (the commander of the CCA Fornaj unit). In contrast to Treiki and Kilani's denials of responsibility, al-Said claimed he was proud of having arrested Zeidan, and accused Zeidan of involvements in drugs and corruption. Said also claimed that drugs had been found in Zeidan's car some months prior, in June 2013, and that there was no evidence that Zeidan enjoyed any kind of political immunity from arrest and prosecution. GNC members are entitled to immunity, meaning that no investigation or prosecution of a GNC member can take place until their immunity has been removed. The GNC can however vote to remove immunity from sitting members, such as in early October 2013 when immunity was removed from several GNC member's accused of defaming members of the Justice & Construction party.


Reactions


Domestic

Justice and Construction Party The Justice and Construction Party (JCP) or Justice and Development Party ( ar, حزب العدالة والبناء, ') is a political party in Libya associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. It was officially founded on 3 March 2012 in Tripol ...
- In a speech responding to the kidnapping, Mohamed Sowan; the head of the
Justice and Construction Party The Justice and Construction Party (JCP) or Justice and Development Party ( ar, حزب العدالة والبناء, ') is a political party in Libya associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. It was officially founded on 3 March 2012 in Tripol ...
, called for Zeidan's resignation. Sawan accused Zeidan of mismanagement, and claimed that this was the real reason for the kidnapping. Sawan also claimed the GNC was looking to replace Zeidan, although criticized the kidnapping as "irresponsible behavior." Sawan also denied that Zeidan had been referring to the
Justice and Construction Party The Justice and Construction Party (JCP) or Justice and Development Party ( ar, حزب العدالة والبناء, ') is a political party in Libya associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. It was officially founded on 3 March 2012 in Tripol ...
when he referenced to an unnamed political party being behind the attempted coup. Sawan had in September demanded Zeidan's removal by means of a no-confidence motion, and blamed Zeidan for all of Libya's problems. Sawan had never spoken openly about withdrawing the
Justice and Construction Party The Justice and Construction Party (JCP) or Justice and Development Party ( ar, حزب العدالة والبناء, ') is a political party in Libya associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. It was officially founded on 3 March 2012 in Tripol ...
's 5 Ministers from the Government. There were reports that the
Justice and Construction Party The Justice and Construction Party (JCP) or Justice and Development Party ( ar, حزب العدالة والبناء, ') is a political party in Libya associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. It was officially founded on 3 March 2012 in Tripol ...
had failed in an attempt to gather the 120 votes needed to dismiss Zeidan from his office, and so had instead offered a truce.
Zintan Zintan ( ar, الزنتان Latin: Tentheos, Berber language: ''Zintan'' or ''Tigharmin'' or ''Tiɣaṛmin'', meaning "small castles") is one of the biggest cities in north western Libya, situated roughly southwest of Tripoli, in the area. The ...
Local Council - On 10 October the Council issued a call for all those involved in Prime Minister Zeidan's kidnapping to be arrested and punished. The Council also blamed the GNC and GNC President
Nouri Abusahmain Nouri Abusahmain ( ar, نوري أبو سهمين; born October 25, 1956) is a Libyan politician. He is a major figure on the Islamist side of the 2014 Libyan Conflict and founder of the LROR group which is considered "terrorist" by the intern ...
for establishing the Libyan Revolutionaries Operations Room.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Libyan coup d'état attempt, 2013 2010s coups d'état and coup attempts 2013 in Libya Attempted coups in Libya Aftermath of the First Libyan Civil War October 2013 events in Africa