The regime of Colonel Muammar Gadhafi announced late Sunday a “proven commitment” of Al-Qaeda conflict in Libya, saying that a leader of this organization is on his the way to the rebel city of Misrata (west of Libya), with a group of combatants.
“Al-Qaida involvement in the conflict in Libya is proven every day”, said government spokesman, Ibrahim Moussa, in a press conference.
“We believe it will be very dangerous for these people to settle in our country, and to control its future and immense wealth, a few steps from Europe”, he said.
Ibrahim said that he had information that al-Hasadi Abdelhakim, “a well-known leader of Al-Qaeda” has left Benghazi feud insurgency, about 1,000 kilometers east of Tripoli, and headed to the city Misrata, aboard a ship, with 25 “well-trained combatants”.
According to the spokesman, al-Hasadi is “well known to information services around the world”.
“Right now he is on his way to Misrata, on the board of an old Egyptian ship, named Al-Shahid Abdelwahab, which they repaired and filled with modern weapons and means of communication”, he continued.
“Unfortunately, the coalition is aware of this (…) and is willing to let Al-Qaeda members to move from Benghazi to Misrata”, he said.
Another Islamist, Ismail Sallabi, member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group and Al-Qaeda, according to him, trains 200 ‘fundamentalist’ military at the camp ‘April 7’, in Benghazi, together with approximately 20 experts sent from Qatar.
Ibrahim also said that Abdelmonem al-Madhuni, presented as “Al-Qaida member from the 1980s” was killed recently in fighting along with rebels near the oil installation at Brega, west of Benghazi.
Abdelmonem al Madhuni, also known as Mustapha al-Zawi, Orwa or Ibn al-Ward, was wanted by Interpol and the United States, he said.
In late March, NATO’s military commander announced that its organization detected “signs” of a possible presence of al-Qaida militants among the rebels, but they immediately denied such a presence.