TUNIS (Reuters) – An armed group attempted to storm Libya’s National Oil Corp (NOC) headquarters in Tripoli but was stopped by guards, the company said on Monday, underscoring the security risks that the North African nation’s energy industry continues to face.
The group blocked the road in front of the building with vehicles, according to a video circulating on social media. Three sources confirmed the video as genuine.
A man speaking on the video, apparently a member of the armed group, can be heard calling for the resignation of NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanallah.
NOC said in a statement the Petroleum Facilities Guards (PFG) had stopped the armed group entering the building and that nobody was hurt in the incident. It said the assault followed threats made against a senior NOC official.
A Libyan oil source said the group had positioned itself outside the high fence of the headquarters but was not stopping people from entering or leaving the building.
(Reporting by Angus McDowall in Tunis, Ayman al-Warfali in Benghazi and Ahmad Ghaddar in London; Editing by Toby Chopra and Edmund Blair)
