The Libyan Attorney General’s Office announced the arrest of the killer of a young basketball fan, who was shot dead in the Head at a major game in Tripoli.
The office said in a statement that “the perpetrator is an employee of the Ministry of Interior, assigned to maintain security at the scene of the accident.”
The killer confessed to firing a bullet at the vehicle in which the victim, Abdul-Mohaimen Al-Falah, was travelling.
Another policeman has been arrested for covering up the crime. “He failed to produce any evidence denying responsibility,” the statement said.
The Prosecutor ordered the detention of the killer, and his fellow pending investigation.
According to the BBC, Al-Falah was fatally injured last week in a disturbance outside the arena following the Libyan Basketball League play-off between Al Ittihad and Al-Ahly Benghazi.
The 19-year-old was taken to Tunisia for treatment but died three days later.
A promising footballer, Al-Falah played for the youth team of second division Al Azima.
The high-profile nature of the death has prompted Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba to instruct the country’s Interior Ministry to find those responsible. The Libyan Olympic Committee has stressed the need for more professional security forces at major sports events.
Despite the country’s ongoing security crisis, which has seen a proliferation of firearms, the Libyan Basketball Federation is one of the few sports organizations that allows spectators to attend games.
The federation has now postponed all fixtures until next week, while Al Ittihad has used social media to announce the suspension of all club activities for three days.
The team’s supporters have been using the slogan “Keep your weapons away from our stadiums and our youth” in a bid to pressure the authorities to take such incidents more seriously.
Safety in Tripoli is continuously deteriorating, with threats of kidnapping and murder a daily occurrence for residents.