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The security situation in Libya is controlled, President of the General National Congress Nuri Abusahmain said in a press conference Thursday directly after the release of Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, who was held hostage for three hours earlier in the day.
Abusahmain told the press that neither citizens, foreigners, nor diplomats will be affected by the political controversies taking place in the country, adding that the abduction of the prime minister came at a time of political wrangling in Libya.
Members of the Revolutionary Operations Chamber raided Zeidan's heavily secured Tripoli hotel around 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) and abducted him, local security sources told Xinhua.
Zeidan was released hours later and arrived at his cabinet office where he met Abusahmain.
The Libyan Revolutionary Operations Chamber "arrested" Zeidan after Abusahmain issued an order calling for the arrest of anyone who puts national security in danger, the leader of the group in Tripoli, Jamma Zubian, said.
However, Abusahmain refuted claims that the abduction of Zeidan was legal or condoned. Libyan Minister of Justice Salah Bashir Margani also denied that this "arrest" was legitimate, explaining that Zeidan is covered by immunity.
The abduction came amid the general discontent in Libya over accusations against Zeidan of allegedly colluding in the U.S. raid that was carried out last Saturday to capture al-Qaida suspect Abu Anas al-Liby. In addition to these charges, Zeidan also faces allegations of bribery with the federalist Petroleum Field Guard ( PFG), according to reports from a former commander of the Libyan Eastern Region Cyrenaica's PFG, Ibrahim Al Jedran.
Last week, U.S. authorities were accused of violating the Libyan sovereignty. The abduction of Prime Minister Zeidan along with the U.S. raid to combat al-Qaida in Libya has led to sharp criticisms of the government.
