Britons told to flee Benghazi in
response to ‘imminent’ threat

The Foreign Office has been advising against travel to most of the country since last September, but has now stepped up its warning.

A spokesman said: “We are now aware of a specific and imminent threat to Westerners in Benghazi, and urge any British nationals who remain there against our advice to leave immediately.

“We have updated our travel advice to reflect this.

“The British Embassy in Tripoli has been in contact with British nationals for whom we have contact details to alert them to the advice.”

The Foreign Office spokesman said: “We cannot comment further on the nature of the threat at this time.”

The Government has been advising against all travel to much of Libya, and all but essential travel to Tripoli and a handful of other towns.

The dangers in the wake of Muammar Gaddafi’s overthrow are said to include “indiscriminate” terrorist attacks against foreign travellers and kidnapping.

The French military action in Mali, which has received British logistical support, has also raised the threat of retaliatory strikes on westerners.

Benghazi was the stronghold of the Western-backed revolt that eventually ended Gaddafi’s rule.

However, Britain has not had any diplomatic presence in the city since an attack on the US mission last September that killed American ambassador Chris Stevens and three of his colleagues.

Libyan officials have reportedly condemned the move. According to the BBC, a Libyan official said: “We are very surprised. It’s not rational at all. We want an explanation from the Foreign Office.”

German nationals have also been advised to leave Benghazi immediately while the Dutch government has warned its nationals that “staying in this area is not to be advised”.

Four Dutch citizens are registered as being in Benghazi but there could be two more, according to Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Thijs van Son.

The warnings come a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified to Congress about the September attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including the ambassador to Libya. They also come as French troops battle al-Qaida linked militants in Mali, and follow the deaths of dozens of foreigners taken hostage by Islamist extremists in Algeria.

The foreign ministries of the Britain, Germany and the Netherlands issued statements variously describing the threat as specific and imminent but none gave details. Germany and Britain urged their nationals still in Benghazi to leave “immediately” while Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Thijs van Son said that “staying in this area is not to be advised.”

It was not immediately clear how many people could be affected; Britain’s Foreign Office said likely “dozens” of its citizens were in the city, while van Son said there are four Dutch citizens registered as being in Benghazi and possibly two more. Several countries have for months advised against all travel to the city and local residents said that many foreigners had already left.

Benghazi, a city of 1 million people, is a business hub where many major firms employ Westerners. It also was where the Libyan uprising against longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi began in 2011. Gadhafi was eventually toppled and killed after NATO backed the rebel movement, but the Arab country has since struggled to cope with al-Qaida-linked militants operating in the country alongside other Islamist groups.