Libyan PM steps down after attack on family

Libya's acting prime minister Abdullah al-Thinni has reportedly stepped down from his post following an attack on him and his family.

In a letter to the GNC posted on the government's website, al-Thinni said he and his family were the victims of a "cowardly attack" on Saturday night, a "shooting that terrified people in a residential area and endangered the lives of some," CNN reported.

Apologizing for not accepting his designation as interim prime minister, al-Thinni said that he will not accept that a single drop of Libyan blood be shed because of him, adding that he did not want to be a reason for fighting among Libyans because of this position.

Abdullah al-Thinni, who was appointed as the interim prime minister by the General National Congress, was given a week to form a new cabinet.

While there were no injuries reported in the attack on al-Thinni and his family, and no details about the incident were released, a resident in the neighborhood said that al-Thinni was with his family when his convoy came under attack by a militia close to the area where he lives in Tripoli, the report added.