Italy is temporarily closing its consulate in Benghazi and has pulled its staff out of the country after a failed gun attack on the consul in eastern Libya, the foreign ministry said.

Continue reading

"The Italian government has temporarily suspended activity at the consulate in Benghazi for security reasons. The staff will return to Italy in the next few hours," the ministry said in a statement.

Consul Guido De Sanctis's bullet-proof car came under fire on Saturday in the latest of a series of attacks targeting foreign missions and security officials. The consul escaped unharmed.