Senior religious figure reported killed in Libya

Libya's top religious authority Dar al-Ifta said today that one of its most senior members had been killed, more than a month after he was kidnapped.

It said it had "obtained confirmation" of the death of Sheikh Nader al-Omrani, who belonged to regional and international Islamic organisations.

His murder was "a great loss not only for Libya but for the entire Muslim community", Dar al-Iftar said in a statement, without giving other details.

According to security sources in Tripoli, which is controlled by a loose alliance of militias of different political and religious factions, Omrani's body has not yet been found.
 

Omrani, considered a moderate, was kidnapped from in front of a mosque in early October in the Libyan capital.

Dar al-Ifta, which called for the sheikh's murder to be avenged in keeping with Islamic law, is headed by controversial Sheikh Sadek al-Ghariani, who is opposed to both of Libya's rival administrations.

Five years after Libya's 2011 revolution that toppled long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the country is embroiled in violence and political chaos as powerful militias and the two rival governments vie for power.