Militants Attack Tunisian Consulate in Libya

Gunmen stormed a Tunisian consulate in Tripoli, the capital city of Libya, and abducted 10 consulate employees today. A spokesman for the Tunisian Foreign Ministry said officials do not yet known the identity of the attackers or their motives. The gunmen have not made any demands to authorities.

Most countries moved their diplomatic missions from Tripoli since a coalition of rebels groups captured the city last August. The rebels formed a government of their own in Tripoli and forced Libya’s elected government to relocate to a different city. Tunisia—Libya’s northwestern neighbor—is one of the few countries which still had a consulate in Libya’s capital. Tunisia and other neighboring countries fear that the violence in Libya could spill over into their own countries.