UN envoy in Libya condemns shrine blast

The head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Tarek Mitri condemned Thursday a blast which targeted a centuries-old shrine in Tajoura, eastern Tripoli. An historic 450-year old Ottoman shrine of Murad Agha, the first Ottoman Empire governor in Libya in 1551, after the liberation of Tripoli from the Knights of St John, was destroyed with explosives on Wednesday. During his visit to the ancient site, Mitri denounced the accident, saying it was in contradiction with the "values of Islam". The UN official urged Libyans to unite their lines to build their country, wishing that the dramatic accident would be the last in the country. Murad Agha was buried beside the Great Mosque that he built, which, in terms of design and beauty, is considered one of the most important in the capital.