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Libyan PM Thani Unharmed in Assassination Attempt


FILE - Gunmen fired at Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani's car on Tuesday in Tobruk.
FILE - Gunmen fired at Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani's car on Tuesday in Tobruk.

Abdullah al-Thani, Libya's internationally recognized prime minister, survived an apparent assassination attempt Tuesday.

A government spokesman said unknown gunmen fired at the prime minister's car after he left the parliament building in the eastern city of Tobruk.

The prime minister was unharmed, but a bodyguard was wounded.

Armed men had tried earlier to storm the parliament while the prime minister was inside, but security forces drove them back.

Libya has been in violent turmoil since longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi was toppled and killed in 2011.

Islamist-backed militias have taken over the capital, Tripoli, and set up a separate government, forcing Thani and his administration to flee to Tobruk.

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