Basketball fan shot dead at Libyan top-flight match

2 years ago 36

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The prime minister of Libya's Government of National Unity has ordered an investigation after the death of a teenage basketball fan shot in the head at a top-flight match in Tripoli.

Abdul Mohimen Al-Falah was fatally injured on Monday in a disturbance outside the arena following the Libyan Basketball League play-off between Al Ittihad and Al Ahly Benghazi.

Local reports have suggested armed security were involved in trying to control the violence.

The 19-year-old was taken to Tunisia for treatment but died on Thursday.

His funeral is expected to take place today while fellow Al Ittihad supporters are set to gather at the stadium to pay their own respects.

A promising footballer, Al-Falah played for the youth team of second division Al Azima.

The high-profile nature of the death has led prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh to instruct the country's interior ministry to take responsibility for finding those responsible, while 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 organisations that allows spectators to attend games.

The federation has now postponed all fixtures until next week while Al Ittihad 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.

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