Libyan official says gunmen capture, release 2 UN staffers

BENGHAZI, Libya – The deputy interior minister of Libya’s internationally recognized government says a U.N. convoy was attacked by bandits on the road from Tunis to Tripoli, and that two U.N. staffers were briefly detained.

Abdel-Salem Ashour says the two staffers, whose nationalities were unknown, were captured Wednesday, after the bandits chased their convoy and fired on it with small arms, causing one of the vehicles to stop. He said the groups had no political or ideological background.

Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 civil war that toppled and killed dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The oil-rich nation is now split between rival governments and militias.