'Mercenaries in ambulance shot at my Libyan associate' - Maltese entrepreneur

A Maltese entrepreneur has told MaltaToday of the harrowing account his Libyan business associate recounted today after being involved in an attack by government mercenaries after the Friday prayers in Tripoli.

"My associate said he was leaving the mosque after Friday prayers with many other men, when suddenly they were met by armed militia who were lined up in a bid to stop them from congregating with protestors."

After some time, the same soldiers - described as "black Africans" - opened fire indiscriminately on anybody walking in the street.

"The worst scene involved an ambulance approaching the wounded. When bystanders approached the ambulance carrying the wounded, the car's doors were flung open and suddenly mercenaries appeared, shooting wildly."

The Libyan associate reported around 25 Libyans were killed in the onslaught.

The violence has since escalated to an extreme degree in Tripoli. The UN high commissioner for refugees, Antonio Guterres, said there is "carnage" and "terrible bloodshed on the streets of Tripoli."

People came out in mass protests on the streets of Tripoli after Friday prayers and Gaddafi forces opened fire with live ammunition.

In the eastern cities of Benghazi and Tobruk, which are no longer under Gaddafi's control, tens of thousands of demonstrators carried banners in support of protesters in the capital city.

"We are working on sanctions, looking at what is most effective and adopted reasonably quickly in collaboration with our international partners," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Friday at a press conference in Godolo, Hungary, after chairing an informal meeting of EU defence ministers.

The ministers did not discuss military intervention, speaking instead about how warships and airlift could be used to evacuate people.

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen convened an urgent meeting of member state ambassadors later on Friday after attending the Godolo event.

"It is absolutely outrageous that the Libyan regime apparently is using armed forces against its own people. Right now, our focus is on evacuation and possibly humanitarian assistance," he said. He added that it is important for the EU and Nato to co-ordinate activity.

Nato sources told this website that a no-fly zone is unlikely to be imposed because it would complicate the security situation and the evacuation efforts. US defence secretary Robert Gates had floated the idea earlier this week.