At Least 10 Die in Libya Riot Over Caricatures
At least 10 people were killed Friday when Libyan security forces shot at demonstrators who set fire to Italy’s diplomatic mission in Benghazi in protest over cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, officials of both countries said.
Libyan state television showed firefighters trying to extinguish the blaze as ambulances took casualties away.
Security officials said police fired guns and lobbed tear gas canisters. More than 1,000 demonstrators threw rocks and bottles and set fire to cars.
An employee at the consulate told Italian television that at least 55 people were injured.
The Italian Foreign Ministry said it was evacuating nationals from Benghazi and possibly from other missions in Libya.
Before the violence, one of Italy’s ruling parties had printed T-shirts emblazoned with the Muhammad caricatures, and Roberto Calderoli, minister for institutional reforms, said he would wear one to “battle for democracy.”
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was quoted Friday night as urging Calderoli to resign.
In Pakistan, meanwhile, officials detained more than 200 people in an attempt to prevent more violence over the drawings.
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