At the end of meetings in Ankara: the commander of the Libyan army was killed in a plane crash in Turkey

Turkey’s interior minister confirmed this evening (Tuesday) that contact was lost with the private plane carrying the chief of the general staff of the Libyan army in the west of the country, Muhammad Ali al-Haddad, and four other senior officials. Later, the minister confirmed that the Turkish search forces found the wreckage of the plane.

Earlier today, al-Haddad met with senior officials of the Turkish army in Ankara, after being invited by his Turkish counterpart, General Selcuk in Iraktoglu.

The Prime Minister of Libya, Abdel Hamid al-Dabiyba, stated that he “mourns the death” of al-Haddad, and confirmed the death of the senior officials who were by his side, including the head of the ground forces, the head of the military production department and the advisor to the Chief of Staff.

Earlier, the Turkish Interior Minister stated that the plane took off back to Tripoli from Asanboa International Airport in Ankara, and asked to make an emergency landing in the capital district – but he was not contacted afterwards. Flight tracking data showed that the airspace over Ankara was closed, while searches began in the area.

According to preliminary information, the plane carrying the Libyan General Staff delegation suffered an electrical failure shortly after takeoff. The crew broadcast an emergency call and began to head back to the airport. While the plane was preparing for an emergency landing, fuel began to leak from it. Authorities have not yet determined whether the reported explosion occurred in the air during the fuel leak – or after the plane crashed.