Omar Mokhtar El-Hariri ( – 2 November 2015) was a leading figure of the

National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council of Libya ( ar, المجلس الوطني الإنتقالي '), sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, was the ''de facto'' government of Libya for a period during and after the Libyan Civil War ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

who served as the Minister of Military Affairs in 2011, during the

Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

. He controlled the National Liberation Army and the

Free Libyan Air Force The Free Libyan Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الليبية الحرة) was the air force of the National Transitional Council, a collection of defected Loyalist Military personnel and captured aircraft that aligned themselves with ...

from March to May 2011. He served on the council Executive Board before being replaced by

Jalal al-Digheily Jalal Muhammad Mansur al-Digheily, sometimes transliterated al-Dogheily, is a Libyan politician who served as the Defence Minister of Libya under the National Transitional Council during the 2011 Libyan civil war. Digheily succeeded Omar El-Ha ...

, and he headed Military Affairs in the unicameral National Transitional Council legislature. El-Hariri was involved in the initial 1969 coup against the monarchy that began Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule of Libya. He organised a plot to overthrow Gaddafi in 1975. When the coup was uncovered, 300 men were arrested, four of whom died during interrogation. Of the remainder, 21 were sentenced to death, including El-Hariri. He was imprisoned for 15 years from 1975 to 1990 under a death sentence, with four and a half years in solitary confinement. Gaddafi commuted the sentence in 1990 and El-Hariri was subsequently placed under house arrest until the Libyan civil war broke out in 2011. After breaking free of his detention, El-Hariri eventually became the political head of the National Transitional Council's armed forces. In an interview with ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', El-Hariri said of Libya's future, "They will elect a new president and he will serve for a limited time. He could be removed if he does not serve the people. And, of course, we will need a parliament, and a multiparty system." On 19 May 2011, ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'' reported

had been appointed "defense minister".

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

and

The Jamestown Foundation The Jamestown Foundation is a Washington, D.C.-based conservative defense policy think tank. Founded in 1984 as a platform to support Soviet defectors, its stated mission today is to inform and educate policy makers about events and trends, wh ...

later confirmed that Digheily had replaced El-Hariri. Unlike El-Hariri, Digheily was reportedly given a seat on the Executive Board of the National Transitional Council, while the "military affairs" department that El-Hariri had headed was afforded a seat on the council itself. He died in a road accident on 2 November 2015 on the road between Al Bayda and

Al Qubbah Al Qubbah or El Gubba ( ar, القبة) is a town in eastern Libya. Once capital of Quba District. It is the largest populated place between Derna, and Bayda. History It was named after Giovanni Berta during the Italian colonial times. Note ...

References

Year of birth missing 2015 deaths Libyan prisoners sentenced to death Prisoners sentenced to death by Libya People of the First Libyan Civil War Libyan military personnel Members of the National Transitional Council National Liberation Army (Libya) Libyan Sunni Muslims Road incident deaths in Libya {{Libya-politician-stub Libyan politicians convicted of crimes