Libya unrest: UK diplomatic team released by rebels
A British diplomatic team who were detained in eastern Libya two days ago have been freed, the Foreign Office has confirmed.
The BBC understands the men left Benghazi on board the Royal Navy frigate HMS Cumberland.
It is thought the team included six SAS soldiers escorting a diplomat who was making contact with opposition leaders.
Witnesses said the men were detained by rebels after arriving near Benghazi in a helicopter early on Friday morning.
They were held when Libyan security guards found they were carrying arms, ammunition, explosives, maps and passports from at least four different nationalities.
The money quote here:
He [BBC’s Jon Leyne in Benghazi] said the UK was “obviously unaware of the reaction likely to be provoked in this tense situation by a group of armed men arriving on a helicopter, in the dead of night”.
With stories of Gaddafi flying in armed mercenaries to fight the opposition forces, the British decided the best way to make contact with the opposition leaders was to flying in armed men on a helicopter. Gee, I don’t see anything wrong with that plan…
While it is wise for the UK to try to get in contact with the Libyan National Council/National Transitional Council, and understandable that the British would want the diplomat protected, it most definitely could have been planned out better to avoid a misunderstanding. It’s an embarrassing incident diplomatically for the United Kingdom. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the misunderstanding, but the diplomatic fallout could have been big.
If you want to keep up to date on the dynamic situation in Libya, you can follow live updates from BBC News and/or Al Jazeera English’s March 6th live blog.