Leaders of one of Libya's largest and most powerful tribes have told BBC Newsnight that they will take their own revenge on the killers of the rebel commander, General Abdel Fattah Younes, if the country's new rulers fail to solve the case.
Elders of Younes' Obeidi tribe said senior officials in the National Transitional Council (NTC) conspired with Islamic extremists to kill the general, whose mutilated body was found along with those of two senior aides in a valley near the rebel-held city of Benghazi on 28 July 2011.
Senior members of the Obeidi tribe Othman Atia, a tribal elder in eastern Libya told Newsnight:"The conspiracy was concocted at the Executive Council - and they know who is behind it. They issued a summons to General Younes, they lured him, lay in wait for him - and then they did what they did to him."
Newsnight has seen a copy of a note, handwritten by Defence Minister Jalal al-Dgheili at 0430 (0330BST) that morning countermanding the arrest warrant on the grounds that it was issued without proper authority and might damage morale at the front.
The NTC says it was simply a series of administrative mistakes that unintentionally delivered Younes into the hands of a fundamentalist brigade, Obaida Ibn Jarrah - some of whose members had a grudge against him.
Officials say one man has been arrested, and the identity of another murder suspect is known, part of a wider group of 16 linked to the case.
Mr Jalil said: "The nature of the killing suggests it was an act of personal revenge," adding that it was retribution for an operation by Gaddafi's forces against Islamist fighters in eastern Libya in the late 1990s.
However, Younes' family, local people and former Islamists say that he was not involved in that operation.
His nephew Muhammad Hamid said: "Younes was their most dangerous enemy because he was a tough old soldier with charisma. He wanted to disarm these people and force them back to civilian life."
"These militias are outside the law. Their basic aim is to control the government of Libya. But the Council has been weak in taking action against them."
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On funeral of burned Younis near to Benghazi [07/29/11]
At the graveside, Younis' son, Ashraf, broke down, crying and screaming as they lowered the body into the ground and – in a startling and risky display in a city that was the first to shed Gadhafi's rule nearly six months ago – pleaded hysterically for the return of the Libyan leader to bring stability.
"We want Moammar to come back! We want the green flag back!" he shouted at the crowd, referring to Gadhafi's national banner.
UPDATE 03.06.2012.
= LIBYAN rebel leaders have acknowledged that their own soldiers killed their top military commander, contradicting earlier statements as the rebels scrambled to avoid revenge attacks that could divide their ranks.
The shifting and partial accounts of his death have raised new questions about the rebel leaders' credibility.
Shortly before the general's death, the rebels issued a subpoena for him to return from the front lines for questioning by a panel of judges, reportedly about charges of treason.
But instead of relying on a legal process, a group of rebel soldiers sent to retrieve him killed him along with two guards, then dumped their bodies outside the city.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/libyan-rebels-admit-killing-own-commander-20120630-218xb.html
UPDATE 03.06.2012.
= LIBYAN rebel leaders have acknowledged that their own soldiers killed their top military commander, contradicting earlier statements as the rebels scrambled to avoid revenge attacks that could divide their ranks.
The shifting and partial accounts of his death have raised new questions about the rebel leaders' credibility.
Shortly before the general's death, the rebels issued a subpoena for him to return from the front lines for questioning by a panel of judges, reportedly about charges of treason.
But instead of relying on a legal process, a group of rebel soldiers sent to retrieve him killed him along with two guards, then dumped their bodies outside the city.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/libyan-rebels-admit-killing-own-commander-20120630-218xb.html
[ source: Libyagate: Yunis’ tribe has turned on NATO’s NTC. CIA – > http://my.telegraph.co.uk/clothcap/clothcap/16313760/libyagate-yunis-tribe-has-turned-on-natos-ntc-cia-algeria-in-a-year-iran-in-three/
Gen Younes' tribe cry conspiracy and vow revenge-> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9591808.stm
Islamists blamed for killing General Abdel Fattah Younes as Libya's rebels face up to enemy within --> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8673021/Islamists-blamed-for-killing-General-Abdel-Fattah-Younes-as-Libyas-rebels-face-up
Abdel Fatah Younis Assassinated By Rebels: Rebel Officer -> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/29/abdel-fatah-younis-assass_0_n_913634.html ]
