The Jordanian ambassador to Libya has been kidnapped Tuesday morning after masked gunmen attacked his car and shot his driver, a spokesman for Libya’s foreign ministry said.

It is the latest incident in which Libyan leaders and foreign diplomats have been targeted in the increasingly lawless North African country, three years after NATO-backed rebels ousted autocratic leader Muammer Qaddafi.

“The Jordanian ambassador was kidnapped this morning. His convoy was attacked by a group of hooded men on board two civilian cars,” ministry spokesman Said Lassoued told Agence France-Presse.

The driver survived the attack and was in hospital, Lassoued said. He suffered gunshot wounds during the kidnapping.

The government in Amman confirmed the kidnapping.

“Jordan has initial information that the Jordanian ambassador in Libya, Fawaz Aytan, was kidnapped,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Sabah Rafie said, adding that it was investigating.

The abduction comes two days after Libya’s prime minister Abdullah al-Thani stepped down, saying he and his family had been the victims of a “traitorous” armed attack the previous day.
(With Reuters and AFP)