On 2 September, Khairy al-Taher, who appointed Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Security Coordination Office by the Maliqta-aligned Council of Ministers on 3 August, was reportedly abducted by forces loyal to Hussein al-Ayeb. The public disclosure of this development resolves contradictory statements issued by the two camps earlier on 2 September in favour of al-Ayeb’s version of events.
Before the abduction, Maliqta’s camp had attempted to seize the Security Coordination Office in Tripoli’s Dahra district. Mustafa Ghaddour, a former Nawasi Brigade commander, was sent to take the office, but withdrew after al-Ayeb deployed an armed group from Tajoura and Ghaddour chose not to clash with it.
The confrontation follows a dispute dating to 29 June, when Presidential Council (PC) President Mohamed Menfi dismissed intelligence chief Hussein al-Ayeb and appointed civilian Abdelmajid al-Maliqta as head of the General Intelligence Service, with Abdulshafi al-Juwaifi as deputy. Maliqta became the first civilian appointed to lead the agency. PC member Musa al-Koni denied approving the decision, indicating that Menfi had acted without full Council consensus.
House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aguila Saleh separately rejected al-Ayeb’s dismissal, insisting that al-Ayeb alone retained legal authority as intelligence chief and ordered him to receive protection at the agency’s headquarters and over its documents. The dispute has left al-Ayeb and Maliqta each claiming leadership of the same sovereign institution, including control of its headquarters, accounts and operational authority.