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Mahmud Turkia / AFP/Getty Images
Libyan Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem speaking during a press conference in March 2011 in Tripoli. In June 2011, Ghanem announced in Rome he had resigned and left Libya to join the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi.
A high-ranking former Libyan official who served under Moammar Gadhafi was found dead in the Danube River, in Vienna, the BBC reported Sunday, citing Austrian police.
Shukri Ghanem, 69, initially defected to Rome from Libya in June 2011, amid the uprising that ultimately ousted Gadhafi, the Tripoli Post reported. He told the Italian Ansa news service that he left "to fight for a democratic country."
Ghanem was Libyan prime minister from 2003 to 2006 and later served as oil minister until his departure in 2011. Prior to his death, Ghanem had been working as a consultant for a Vienna-based company.
On Sunday, he left his home on Sunday normally dressed, police told the BBC. He was found floating in the river early in the morning, the Associated Press reported, citing police spokesman Roman Hahslinger. Hahslinger said the body showed no external signs of violence, adding that officials will carry out an autopsy in the coming days.
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It is the result of a task of a professional assassin and what that means is a red light is up for those who have supported the democratic change. Hope that those officials who have supported the change need extra protection now.
Billie
That's certainly possible. It's the first thing that came to my mind. I would think that the body would have signs of a struggle though. Bruising on wrists or arms. Even on the neck from being restrained. I'd be interested in knowing just to satisfy my curiosity.
I highly doubt there would be such evidence from a professional assassin, leaving no trace of foul play is a must in that job field.. I really dont feel srry for him either, he got out, only after knowing the government was going to fall. Probably to save his own..
First thing I would do during an investigation is check his bank accounts to see if any
Shukri Ghanem's"Libyan oil" money was withdrawn and by whom.The Libyan former Min.Pres. and then Oil Min. was found 8:40 a.m. Austrian time in the 'New Danube' floating. He did not have any IDs on him- police later found a paper in his pocket -name/bureau he worked as a consultant in Inner City Vienna. First it was reported (his family) that he had died at his home of a heart attack. Police established he had friends as company Saturday night and appearently left early Sunday morning for a 'walk'. His name also is either Shukri Ghanem or Shoukri Ghanim. He had been residing in Vienna,Austria since June,2011. He was 69 yrs old. There were no outward signs of any force but he could have been feeling ill and falling into the riveer or someone could have pushed him into the river as well.(Police). He had been under stress lately for any proceedings in Libya against him. Autopsy will be done. His body had not been long floating in the New Donau River. http://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/panorama/chronik/454317_Raetsel-um-Tod-von-Libyens-Ex-Premier.html
Sam
That doesn't really change anything as far as my opinion. Other than maybe poison, how do you murder someone and leave no mark whatsoever?
wichasha:
you obviously don't watch much TV or movies
wichasha wrote: "how do you murder someone and leave no mark whatsoever?"
Honest answer: You "own" the investigators.
May be a suicide too!
More blood on Obama's hands.
If he floats, then he is not guilty-
according to the ancient method of jury trial.
wichasha wrote: "how do you murder someone and leave no mark whatsoever?"
If there is water in his lungs, then he drowned. Do it right, and there will be no marks. Of course, if there is NO water in the lungs, then that means he was dead before he went into the water. If there are no signs of stroke or heart attack, then it was obviously murder, and they'll know. If the man couldn't swim and he drowned, he may have been pushed into the river, in which case it could be mistaken for a suicide.
He slipped on an oily patch and fell into the river.
Who gives a rat's ass?
The log chain he was stealing drowned him..
Too much laughing gas maybe.
You can run but you can't hide. That is the message of the Muslims. Revenge is a cornerstone in their culture. Honor is another cornerstone. Both work to keep them in a perpetual unstable state of turmoil.
That means we have many Muslim killers among us.
Also they are only after their agenda and not loyal to the society and nation they are in.
Guess Hillary will take the girls out for drinks and dancing.
Watch my lips: S T U P I D!
Bill and Hillary can do anything!
Fight for freedom-2341533 You got it exactly right. This was the work of a hit squad that was tending to some last minute housekeeping. I is not the first nor will he be the last as there are many supporters that left because for fear of the being killed so now they are being hunted down and eliminated and it will continue.
What a pointless death after the success of the uprising. At least this man gets to live in actual heaven for his sacrifice and within the hearts of all freedom-loving Libyans today and remembered for his true loyalty to the people that he came from and really, really died with/for.
Lotsa suspicious deaths of late....hmmm.
The people of Libya have spoken.
Has the city of Vienna placed a warning on the drinking water for pollutants?
But seriously, this story gives us no indication whether he was a revolutionary against Qaddafi, or smelled the end of Qaddafi's rule and bolted for safer ground. I don't know if he is a hero or a tool of Qaddafi's who lost his usefulness. Did I miss something?
So, was he blue?
Darn, another oil slick on the river.
Happy floating! Who cares. Next, with real news, please.
And I thought rats could swim.
Timothy Hampton, British nuclear expert taking part in disarmament talks with Iran, was also whacked in Vienna.
Had to log in before I could vote for a couple of comments.
Interpol needs to investigate Mr. Shukri Ghanem's death to determine if he was murdered before he could disclose what he knew of bribe payments made by international oil companies (IOCs) to the Gaddafi regime between 2008 and 2011.
Mr. Ghanem's name appears frequently in US Department of State (DoS) cables on Libya published by Wikileaks that are evidence supporting the allegations made in "ConocoPhillips Shareholder Proposal -- 2012" (available at ) that ConocoPhillips violated US, UK and Canadian anti-bribery laws.
He took a dip and so did oil prices.
For dip in oil prices, we have to float all the Saudi, UAE, Kuwait and other price manipulators into nearest oceans!
This is a troubling sign for the young democracy. Hopefully this has something to do with a dark past and not a dark future. The world of good democratic people are behind the new democracy in Libya. Hopefully they can find stability in the next years. Take a look at my new democracy website!
democracychronicles.com
There is no reason to think or believe that this man committed suicide. Something is not right here.
The suicide is confirmed, he was shot five times in the head.
I check him out. His pants were wet. We took a test if he had pee his pants. We discover he was wet from the river instead. Hope this will help our bloggers on this.
Just wondering. Will they change it to the Black Danube now?
If he floats, then he is not guilty!
...according to ancient jury trial!
We all live and we all die. The method/reason of that death depends on our decisions and the quality of the people we choose to play with and the sand box in which we choose to play.
He played in a dangerous sand box with not very nice kids. End of tale.
I am neither surprised nor dismayed by this. After all, we humans are a brutal lot when that thin veneer of civility is peeled away.