Magharebia

Libyan security forces on Tuesday (May 8th) repelled armed demonstrators who attacked the government headquarters in Tripoli, AFP reported. One security officer was killed in the clash.

Some 200 armed men, backed by about 50 trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns and rocket launchers, joined demonstrators demanding cash stipends for former rebels, government spokesman Nasser al-Manaa said after government had forces restored order.

"The interior ministry has arrested the attackers and the situation is completely under control," Interim Prime Minister Abdurrahim El Keib later said in a televised statement.

The attackers sought "cash allocated as rewards for the real revolutionaries", he said. The government, however, "will not give in to blackmail and to outlaws and will not negotiate under the threat of arms", El Keib added.

Tuesday's violence marks the worst attack in Tripoli against Libya's new rulers. The tough reaction indicates, however, that interim authorities are willing to call on their growing forces to counter threats against state institutions, AFP editorialised.