A Libyan security official denied claims of the arrest of a number of military officers, who were planning to stage a coup in the eastern part of the country.
“All reports about this issue are completely untrue,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The east is controlled by the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar.
The German news agency had quoted on Tuesday “informed” Libyan sources as saying that a number of officers were arrested for plotting a coup.
It said that the LNA’s Tarek bin Zayed brigade carried out the arrest.
Officer Mohammed Abdulsalam al-Musaynei clarified to Asharq Al-Awsat that the brigade and police in eastern Libya arrested soldiers, not officers, for a robbery.
“The situation is normal and excellent,” he added.
Meanwhile, MP Saeed Amgheb said that Haftar is “very popular among the military and everyone knows this. He is widely accepted by the people.”
Social media users in Libya circulated photos of three corpses, bearing signs of torture and gunshots, that were found near a cement factory in Benghazi. The victims were identified as individuals who were previously held in custody.
