A brazen daylight killing in western Libya has shocked the nation, after four armed men gunned down a young man during an attempted car theft in the coastal town of Janzour, just west of the capital Tripoli.
According to local sources, the victim, identified as Ahmed Al-Sharif, was driving to work on Thursday morning when four gunmen attempted to block his vehicle and force him to stop. Their goal was to seize his car.
Al-Sharif tried to escape, accelerating away from the attackers. But the gunmen chased him, eventually catching up and opening fire. He was struck by bullets, lost control of his vehicle, and crashed into a garbage truck. He died instantly at the scene.
The killing, which took place in broad daylight on a public road, triggered widespread outrage across Libya. Social media users expressed grief and anger, condemning what they described as a total collapse of law and order in western Libya. Many demanded immediate government action to disarm militias, restore public security, and ensure justice for the victim’s family.
Human rights activist Ahmed Hamza sounded the alarm over what he described as a “dangerous surge” in violent crime, blaming the deterioration on the absence of effective policing, the weakness of the Ministry of Interior, and the involvement of some of its own affiliated security units in criminal acts.
The murder sparked an outpouring of anger on social media, where citizens expressed outrage at the spread of armed groups, the lack of accountability, and the daily threat of violence. Many called the incident a grim symbol of Tripoli’s worsening security vacuum.
Janzour’s Security Directorate later announced that it had arrested the suspects in record time, handing them over for investigation and prosecution.
But the violence did not stop there. In Sabratha, armed men shot and killed citizen Moayad Al-Malti in the Al-Jabbar area before escaping. The case remains unsolved, reinforcing fears that many parts of western Libya are slipping further into lawlessness.
These crimes have reignited demands for decisive government action to dismantle armed networks, restore police authority, and re-establish the rule of law. Without urgent intervention, observers warn, western Libya risks sinking deeper into a cycle of violence, impunity, and militia dominance, leaving ordinary citizens to bear the brunt of a failing security system.
