On 21 April, a football match in Tripoli International Stadium between al-Ahly Tripoli and al-Suwaihli ended in chaos after vehicles with the logo of the Ministry of Interior’s (MoI) Central Support Service deliberately ran over fans outside the stadium – a video showing this was widely circulated on social media. This resulted in an angry response from fans, with some wielding sticks and throwing stones and security vehicles. The MoI forces arrested several people for public disorder.
Al-Ahly Tripoli club condemned the attack in a statement, calling it ‘a flagrant violation of fan safety that cannot be tolerated.’ The club called on Interior Minister Emad Trabelsi to launch an urgent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the incident and hold those involved accountable.
For its part, the MoI explained that the incident was carried out by a vehicle belonging to a security agency, which was confiscated and its driver arrested. It stated that the incident involving the fans was an ‘individual act that violated professional ethics’. It noted that the incident was a response to some fans’ attacks on police patrols. It added that Trabelsi had ordered an urgent investigation and pledged to hold those involved accountable.