Benghazi – Emad Agag
Resigned NTC vice president and spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga
Benghazi – Emad Agag
The director of the Institute for the Development of Libyan Cities in the East Province, Salah Bouhajar, stated that Libya's National Transitional Council “took all the important papers and documents
it needs from the headquarters and left,” stating that NTC headquarters are now expected to move to Tripoli after the storming incident.
Bouhajar said, in a telephone call with ‘Arabstoday’, that it would have been “a catastrophe” if protesters were to reach the second floor while storming the NTC building, as the entire data centre archive of Benghazi was based there, including the civil registry of 1943, 1945, and 1964.
He stated that the registry and the archive were now safe, as it was protected and guarded by employees who were still terrorised as protesters roamed around the building
The front of the building and the first floor were severely damaged with all windows broken. Bouhajar indicated that the building belongs to the Institute of the Development of Libyan Cities, and the NTC used the first floor.
When pressed for details, Bouhajar stated that he was not within the premises during the first attack of protesters that used hand bombs, explaining that the attack started soon after dawn.
He told ‘Arabstoday’ that NTC head Mustafa Abdul Jalil asked to let in a group of protesters to hear their demands. They apparently, however, did not have collective demands but “most demands were personal”.
Protesters were not satisfied with the meeting.
Security was not authorised to shoot the protesters when they stormed the building, and hence they could not be stopped, said Bouhajar. Protesters raided the building in large numbers, spreading chaos and destroying the first floor of the building from inside; breaking the windows and furniture. At this point, Abdul Jalil and the NTC members fled the headquarters.
NTC members also offered their resignations, Sunday, a few hours following the resignation of the vice president and spokesman of the Council Abdel Hafiz Ghoga. However, the NTC has not yet accepted these resignations, and is scheduled to hold a meeting on Monday to look into the recent developments and decide on the resignations.