Mayor of Libya's largest port city assassinated

A group of gunmen have kidnapped and killed the mayor of Misrata, Libya's third largest city and largest port.

Illustration: NST

According to Reuters, the incident occurred late on December 17. Assassins followed Mayor Mohamed Eshtewi's car as soon as he left the airport in Misrata, kidnapped him, killed him and dumped his body outside a hotel in the city.

Libyan authorities are still unclear who was behind the assassination of the mayor of Misrata. However, all suspicion is now falling on rebel groups and Islamist forces in the city of Misrata.

The Libya Herald newspaper reported that on the afternoon of December 17, after returning from Istanbul (Türkiye) with a working delegation, on his way home from the airport, Mr. Mohamed Eshtewi was kidnapped along with many other local officials.

His younger brother Ahmed and their driver were also in the car. The car was stopped at a traffic light on the way out of the airport by the attackers. He was kidnapped while his younger brother was shot in the head.

Mohamed Eshtewi's body was later dumped outside the Safwa Hotel with three bullets in his back. However, according to city councillor Mustafa Krwat, who is in charge of security, the mayor's cause of death was a blow to the head.

Other sources in Libya said seven other bullet wounds were also found on Mohamed Eshtewi's body.

Since the 2011 uprising that toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi, the North African country has been in a state of constant turmoil. However, the country's largest port city, Misrata, has remained relatively peaceful until recently.

In October this year, a bomb exploded at the city’s courthouse, killing four people and injuring 40 others. The attack was believed to have been directed by IS.

Misrata is a port city located nearly 200km east of Tripoli. It is the gateway for Libyan food, foodstuffs and many other goods, and is also the country's only duty-free zone.

The city is one of the few places frequented by foreign businessmen, fearful of poor security in other parts of Libya.

According to Tuoi Tre