6 Libyan Military Men Reportedly Seeking Political Asylum in Egypt

Six members of the Libyan armed forces arrived Monday night in southern Egypt and asked for political asylum, an official source said.

The Libyans arrived aboard a Libyan C-130 military transport plane, which landed at Abu Simbel airport about 930 miles south of Cairo. The passengers refused to divulge their military ranks, airport sources said.

The sources added that the governor of Aswan, Gen. Kadri Osman, accompanied by the chief of army intelligence, Gen. Samir Abdel Aziz, had left for Abu Simbel to negotiate with the Libyans.

Details Lacking

It was not clear whether the plane was hijacked or whether the plane’s crew members were also involved, the sources said. A C-130 normally carries a crew of five, but the exact number of crew members aboard this flight was also not clear.

The sources said initial inquiries indicated the plane came from Chad.

Airport officials in Aswan said that two Egyptian army helicopters carrying elite troops flew to Abu Simbel airport and that more troops left by bus for the airport to “secure the negotiations” with the Libyans.

About 480 foreign tourists were stranded at Abu Simbel airport as the Hercules plane stayed on the runway, obstructing the departure of their scheduled flights.

Before Gov. Osman left Aswan for Abu Simbel, about 130 miles distant, he welcomed the Libyans to Egypt in a radio message and told them to remain calm and avoid trouble with local officials.

Mubarak’s Foe

The incident was certain to further aggravate relations between Egypt and Libya. The latter’s leader, Col. Moammar Kadafi, is an outspoken foe of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak because of Mubarak’s generally pro-Western policies and because of Egypt’s peace accord and diplomatic relations with Israel.

Mubarak has accused Libya of being behind recent plots to assassinate Libyan exiles in Egypt and carrying out other attacks on Egyptian targets.