SAEDNEWS: Libya has declared three days of national mourning after the death of Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad and four top military officials in a plane crash near Ankara.
The Libyan army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has died in a plane crash near Ankara, Turkey, shortly after the private jet he was traveling in took off from a local airport.
The crash on Tuesday killed all passengers on board, Al Jazeera reported.
Among the victims were four other high-ranking Libyan military officials and three crew members.
Turkish authorities told Al Jazeera that initial investigations have ruled out sabotage, pointing instead to a technical failure as the likely cause of the accident.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah confirmed al-Haddad’s death in a statement on Facebook, calling it a “tragic accident” that occurred as the delegation was returning home.
The Libyan delegation had been in Ankara for high-level defense talks aimed at strengthening military cooperation between the two countries, according to Turkish officials.
