Libyan army colonel gunned down in Derna

A Libyan army colonel who returned to Derna for his brother’s burial was gunned down yesterday in the family home.

Earlier this year, a Libyan jihadist group – the Majlis Shura Shabab al-Islam, or Islamic Youth Shura Council (MSSI) - claimed Derna as part of the ‘caliphate’ that the Islamic State is seeking to extend over the Muslim world.

Today, the Libya Hereld reported that Col Abdul Razaq Awad Bin Ali was murdered in the province after travelling from Benghazi. 

A source in the town told the Libya Herald that the brother had died a few days ago and added that attackers had “stormed into the family’s house in the Wadi Embach district and shot him [Col Ali] in front of everybody. They then left celebrating”.

In further violence in Derna, a café at the Al-Jabal Al-Siyahi hotel was bombed in the small hours of Sunday morning.

There were no casualties but there was reported to be extensive damage to the café, which has been a popular meeting place for writers and artists.