Venezuelan ambassador's residence in Libya is targeted in attacks.
The invasion of Afif Tajeldine's residence by an armed group occurred after Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez defended Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Agência Brasil – The residence of the Venezuelan ambassador to Libya, Afif Tajeldine, was invaded yesterday (24), in Tripoli, by a group of armed men. The ambassador said that the men threatened him, ransacked the house, stole cars and fired shots into the air.
Tajeldine added that the attack on the diplomatic residence left the place in "total disarray." The attack was harshly criticized by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.
Amid clashes between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi's government, the opposition, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Chávez condemned the reprimands directed at the Libyan leader. Friends, Chávez and Gaddafi have met several times, and there are strong relations between Venezuelans and Libyans.
The attacks on the ambassador's residence occurred at the same time as the rebels advanced in Tripoli towards the headquarters and residential complex where Gaddafi and his family were staying.
On Wednesday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said that the crisis in Libya does not end with the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's government, but begins with that fact. Chávez has condemned the United States and the European Union from the outset for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) air strikes during the Libyan conflict. For him, the attacks "destroyed a country." According to the Venezuelan president, "the tragedy in Libya is only beginning." Chávez has been a staunch defender of Gaddafi during the conflict and recently called the rebels "a group of terrorists."read more here)
*With information from the multi-state broadcaster Telesur, based in Caracas, Venezuela.