Libya’s Prime Minister of National Unity has ordered an investigation into the death of a young basketball fan who was shot in the head during a top-flight competition in Tripoli.
Abdul Mohimen Al-Falah was killed in a fight outside the arena after the Libyan Basketball League play-off between Al Ittihad and Al Ahly Benghazi on Monday.
According to local reports, armed security was involved in attempting to calm the violence.
The 19-year-old was sent to Tunisia for treatment but died the next day.
His funeral is scheduled for Saturday, and fellow Al Ittihad supporters are expected to assemble to the stadium to offer their respects.
Al-Falah, a promising footballer, played for Al Azima’s youth team in the second tier.
Because of the high-profile nature of the death, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh has directed the interior ministry to take responsibility for locating those guilty, while the Libyan Olympic Committee has emphasized the need for more professional security officers at important sporting events.
Despite the country’s continuous security crisis, which has seen guns proliferate, the Libyan Basketball Federation is one of the few sports organizations that allows spectators to attend games.
The federation has now postponed all fixtures until next week, while Al Ittihad has announced a three-day ban of all club operations on social media.
The team’s supporters have used the slogan “Keep your weapons away from our stadiums and our youth” in an attempt to persuade authorities to treat such instances more seriously.
