Two killed as revenge bazooka attack destroys Tripoli bank

A group of armed Libyan men destroyed a bank headquarters in central Tripoli on Wednesday, reportedly after security guards followed two of their associates home and killed them.

MENA

2 min read

Robert Cusack

09 March, 2017

The blaze at the Aman bank in Tripoli has completely destroyed the building [Twitter]

Five men armed with rocket launchers bombed and destroyed a bank headquarters in Tripoli on Wednesday - because a security guard allegedly shot and killed two of their associates.

The two men died following a gun battle between the Aman Bank's security guards and a group of young men on Tuesday. The guards followed the men home and shot them, eyewitnesses told The New Arab.

Following the two deaths, the men returned the next day with five rocket propelled grenade launchers to attack the headquarters, causing extensive fire damage.

Residents, including children at a local school, have reported feeling terrified in the aftermath of the attack.

The bank has responded to the violence, which they described as an "outbreak of riots", by guaranteeing the security of their customer's deposits.

According to the bank's manager, deposits are not kept on-site and the customer information is all kept online.

Wednesday's security incident is an apt example of the growing insecurity in Libya at present.

Various armed militias have engaged in gun battles of varying intensity in the streets of Tripoli in recent months, as the UN-backed government in Tripoli struggles to maintain order.

Guma al-Gamaty, the head of the Taghyeer Party in Libya, recently told The New Arab that criminality was increasing in Tripoli, as a lack of central security allowed for the rise of criminal gangs.

"There's been a security breakdown in Tripoli with kidnappings, car thefts and killings on the rise," he said.

"A total lack of police or any effective security has created a security vacuum that militias or other criminal gangs have been allowed to fill."