Libya's Olympic Honcho Kidnapped

Ahmed Nabil al-Taher al-Alam hauled from his car
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 16, 2012 7:21 AM CDT
Libya's Olympic Honcho Kidnapped
Libyan weightlifter Ali Meftahi al-Kikli poses for a portrait during a training session at a gym in Tripoli on July 12, 2012 few days before leaving to compete in the 2012 London Olympics.   (Getty Images)

Gunmen abducted the president of the Libyan Olympic Committee in the nation's capital yesterday, grabbing him from his car and bundling him into a waiting vehicle, his brother said today. He said there has been no contact with Ahmed Nabil al-Taher al-Alam or the captors since. Security officials said they are investigating al-Alam's disappearance but they did not provide any further details.

The abduction comes amid a wave of score settling between rivals of Libya's eight-month civil war. Al-Alam, who served as the head of the Libyan Football Association under Gadhafi, is known to have been friends with Gadhafi's son, Mohammed, who was al-Alam's predecessor as the Libyan Olympic Committee president. The brother said he learned of the abduction from al-Alam's friend, who was with the LOC chief when the kidnapping took place. The gunmen stopped al-Alam's car, shoved him into another car, and sped off, leaving the friend unharmed on the street. (More Ahmed Nabil al-Taher al-Alam stories.)

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