Tunisian diplomat kidnapped in Libya

TRIPOLI, Apr 17 (AFP): A Tunisian diplomat was kidnapped in Tripoli on Thursday in still unknown circumstances, a Libyan security source told AFP, just two days after armed men seized Jordan's ambassador.
A Tunisian source confirmed the abduction -- the latest in a string of incidents targeting foreign diplomats and Libyan politicians -- while Tunis's ambassador, Ridha Boukadi, refused to comment.
Libyan foreign ministry spokesman Said Lessoued said he could not confirm nor deny the reported abduction.
If confirmed, the diplomat would be the second staffer from the Tunisian embassy abducted in the Libyan capital since March 21 when a man employed by the mission was seized. His fate is still unknown.
Diplomats in Tripoli say militias that fought to topple the Moamer Kadhafi regime in the 2011 uprising often carry out kidnappings in order to blackmail other countries into releasing Libyans held abroad.
On Tuesday masked gunmen kidnapped Jordan's ambassador, Fawaz Aitan, as he rode to work in Tripoli, shooting at his car and wounding his driver.
Libya has been gripped by increasing lawlessness since NATO-backed rebels ended the four-year reign of the autocratic Kadhafi, who was killed in the 2011 uprising.