Libyan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a man accused of attempting to assassinate a government minister earlier this month, stating that the suspect has fled to Tunisia.
Adel Juma, Libya’s Minister for Cabinet Affairs in the UN-recognised Government of National Unity (GNU), was shot in the leg when an attacker opened fire on his vehicle in Tripoli on February 12.
In a statement posted on social media on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, the attorney general’s office confirmed that investigators had identified the perpetrator and that he had left the country for Tunisia following the crime.
The suspect’s name was not disclosed, but authorities stated that they were taking necessary steps to prosecute him beyond Libya’s jurisdiction.
Libya has faced ongoing turmoil since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that led to the overthrow of longtime ruler Moamer Kadhafi.
The country remains divided between the Tripoli-based GNU, which Juma serves under Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.
Juma, who has held his position since March 2021, is a key figure in the GNU, coordinating between the prime minister’s office and other ministries. He was reported to be in stable condition following the attack.
Authorities have not disclosed any potential motive for the shooting.
This incident follows a series of assassination attempts targeting senior Libyan officials.
In 2021, then-Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha survived an attack in Tripoli, and last year, Prime Minister Dbeibah’s nephew and adviser, Ibrahim Dbeibah, was also targeted in an attack that caused no casualties.
