Arabic version: مقتل رئيس الاستخبارات العسكرية للجيش الليبي في تفجير ببنغازي

According to France 24, Libyan National Army military intelligence chief Fawzi al-Mansouri was killed in a car bombing in the eastern city of Benghazi. The LNA said the assassination occurred on Monday when an explosive attached to his vehicle detonated as he left a local mosque at night.

The LNA controls eastern Libya and parts of the south. Its statement said it would continue fighting terrorism and pursuing stability, security and the unification of Libya’s institutions. Authorities had not identified those responsible for the bombing.

Khaled Haftar, son of LNA chief Khalifa Haftar, said an investigation had been opened and that indicators pointed to a “despicable terrorist tactic”. His office later said authorities had arrested a terrorist cell in Benghazi that was preparing sabotage acts, without saying whether the arrests were linked to al-Mansouri’s killing.

The attack raised questions about security in Benghazi, an LNA stronghold, while efforts continue to reunify Libya’s divided executive powers under a Washington-mediated plan. Libya has remained divided since the 2011 ousting of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, with the UN-recognised government in Tripoli competing with a Benghazi-based rival backed by Haftar.

Al-Mansouri, who had close ties to the Haftar family, was a leading LNA figure in battles against jihadist groups, including the Islamic State group, between 2014 and 2017. He also played a major role in Haftar’s 2019 offensive to seize Tripoli. Benghazi authorities held his funeral on Tuesday, attended by senior LNA officials including Khaled and Saddam Haftar.