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Leader of Criminal Ring Smuggling Migrants to Europe Murdered in Libya

© AP Photo / Petros GiannakourisMigrant whose boat stalled at sea while crossing from Turkey to Greece swim to approach the shore of the island of Lesbos, Greece, on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015
Migrant whose boat stalled at sea while crossing from Turkey to Greece swim to approach the shore of the island of Lesbos, Greece, on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015 - Sputnik International
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A leader of a major criminal group specializing in human trafficking, including smuggling migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe, was killed in Libya.

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Salah Al-Maskhout, a former army officer and purported major smuggler, was shot and killed in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, the Libya Herald wrote.

According to the report, Al-Maskhout was attacked by a group of armed men, while leaving a relative’s house situated next to Medical Centre in Tripoli. The unidentified gunmen opened fire at Al-Maskhout and his security guards as well as some of his business partners, who were walking along with him.

The firefight resulted in the deaths of eight people, including Al-Maskhout.

Some sources say the attackers intended to take Al-Maskhout alive, but something may have gone wrong.

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The fact that none of those attackers were killed during the skirmish prompted police to conclude the gunmen are all professionals. They were armed with guns, while Al-Maskhout’s own people carried Kalashnikov semi-automatic rifles.

Al-Maskhout’s group was acting mainly in the city of Zuwara that is considered to be the smuggling capital of Libya. A majority of migrants heading to Europe usually start their journey from there. The criminal actions that led to hundreds of deaths in the sea a month ago caused significant backlash both among authorities and citizens.

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