Libya’s ex-PM warns of terror threat to Europe

Libya is in danger of becoming an Al-Qaeda terror base for attacks targeting European countries like Britain and France, the former prime minister Ali Zeidan has warned.

Widespead availability of weapons and ammunition makes the country a likely base for the launch of attacks on other countries, Zeidan told the London-based Times newspaper.

He warned on Tuesday that Islamist groups were sabotaging attempts to rebuild his country in order that it become a haven for extremists.

“Libya could be a base for Al-Qaeda for any operation to Italy, to Britain, to France, to Spain, to Morocco, to everywhere. Weapons are everywhere, ammunition is everywhere,” the former prime minister told the newspaper.

“My plan is to struggle to reform the state, to stabilize the situation”.

Zeidan fled Libya for Germany after losing a parliamentary confidence vote earlier this month. He spoke to The Times in London, where he is meeting British politicians.

He said that he is considering returning to Libya “very soon”, where he intends to help restore order and fight extremism.

“These people want Libya not to be a civil state, not to be a state of law, they want it as what happened in Afghanistan,” he told The Times.

Libya faces massive internal problems, including fighting between government officials and militias over oil exports.

Zeidan was sacked and fled the country after rebels loaded a tanker with crude oil, which then left Libyan waters. The ex-PM has said his sudden departure to Europe was due to ‘security conditions’ in the country.

(With AFP)