TRIPOLI – Libya said Thursday that nothing justified some European countries' warning of an imminent threat to Westerners in the country's second city of Benghazi. Britain, Germany and the Netherlands urged their citizens Thursday to immediately leave Benghazi in response to what was described as an imminent threat against Westerners. “Nothing justifies this reaction,” Deputy Interior Minister Abdullah Massoud said, adding that “there are question marks about this communique” and expressing “astonishment” at the “very strong” tone of statements. The foreign ministries of the three countries issued statements variously describing the threat as specific and imminent but none gave details as to its exact nature. Germany and Britain urged their nationals still in Benghazi to leave “immediately” while Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Thijs van Son said that “staying in this area is not to be advised.” Earlier Thursday, the British Foreign Office said: “We are now aware of a specific and imminent threat to Westerners in Benghazi, and urge any British nationals who remain there against our advice to leave immediately.” The Netherlands also urged its citizens to leave the eastern Libyan city.Britain issued a similar warning Thursday. Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Thijs van Son said the ministry is upgrading its travel warning for Benghazi. He said the Dutch “have reason to believe there is a serious threat coming up” but declined to elaborate. Massoud said: “We acknowledge that there are security problems in Benghazi and that there have been for several months, but there is no new intelligence that could justify this reaction. “On the contrary. We are now in the process of establishing our authority in the east and in all of Libya, and the security forces are organising themselves little by little and are more and more visible on the ground.” He said Tripoli would demand an explanation from London over the remarks. Adel Mansouri, principal of the International School of Benghazi, said British and foreign nationals were warned two days ago about a possible threat to Westerners. Saleh Gawdat, a Benghazi lawmaker, said French doctors who were working in Benghazi hospitals have left the city and that the French cultural center has closed out of concerns about potential retaliation over the French-led military intervention in nearby Mali. The warning also came a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave an emotional appearance before Congress about the attack on the US mission in Benghazi on Sept. 11, which killed the US ambassador and three other people. She warned of the challenge posed by rising militancy after the Arab Spring, saying the Arab revolutions had “shattered security forces across the region.” – Agencies
