Gaith Abdul Ahad, a Guardian reporter, has been released after being detained for a fortnight by Libyan authorities. Ahad, along with Andrei Netto, a Brazilian journalist, were held after entering Libya from Tunisia. Netto was freed a few days ago. The New York Times reports that four of its journalists have been missing in Libya since 15 March.
Ali Hassan Al Jaber, an Al Jazeera cameraman, was killed in Libya on 12 March after being shot by unknown attackers, in an ambush by forces loyal to Gaddafi.
After covering an anti-government protest, the Al Jazeera team was on its way to the city of Benghazi, when the car they were travelling in came under fire. Another journalist in the car received minor gun shot wounds. Al Jaber is the first journalist to have been killed while covering the recent unrest in Libya.
Wadah Khanfar, the director-general of Al Jazeera, condemned the attack on its journalists: “Al Jazeera reiterates the assault cannot dent its resolve to continue its mission, professionally enlightening the public of the unfolding events in Libya and elsewhere.”
It is also reported that Brazilian journalist, Andrei Netto, who was being held by Libyan authorities has now been released. However, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, a Guardian journalist who was detained at the same time as Netto, is still in custody.
Libyan officials have confirmed that award-winning Guardian correspondent Ghaith Abdul-Ahad is in their custody after he went missing while reporting from the country.
The foreign ministry in the capital Tripoli said that Libyan authorities were holding Abdul-Ahad along with a Brazilian journalist, Andrei Netto.
A BBC news team trying to reach the town of Zawiya were detained, beaten and subjected to mock executions by pro-Gaddafi forces. The team of three were detained on Monday at an army roadblock and taken to a military barracks in Tripoli where they were held for 21 hours. After release they left the country.
The Guardian reports today that its correspondent, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, and his travelling companion Andrei Netto, from the Brazilian newspaper Estado, are missing in Libya. Abdul-Ahad, an Iraqi national, was last in touch with the paper through a third party on Sunday.