Misrata mourns Gaddafi’s hideout finder

Misrata’s Local Council issued a statement mourning the “martyred hero” Imran Juma Shaban who died in a hospital in Paris on Tuesday. Imran was the one who discovered the hideout of late Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte, on October 20, 2011. According to sources, Shaban was tortured close to the point of death after being kidnapped by Gaddafi’s supporters in the city of Beni Walid. The Libyan Head of National Congress, Dr Mohamed Magarief, intervened and Shaban was released, only to die a few days later. A council member for Misrata, Dr. Suleiman Fortia, told Xinhua News Agency that “Imran Juma Shaban suffered critical injuries after being kidnapped in Bani Walid and was transferred to France for treatment, but died on Tuesday.” He said his body will arrive in Misrata on Wednesday and will have a funeral that befits his status as a “hero”. According to Libyan sources and al-Arabiya website, Shaban was kidnapped while returning from a mission assigned to him by the Libya Shield Brigade (of the Libyan National Army) in Misdah. He was transferred to Bani Walid and was interrogated for 50 days about how Gaddafi was arrested. While Shaban was released after Magarief’s intervention, two others were kept by the kidnappers.