Demonstrators on Wednesday besieged the Egyptian consulate in Benghazi in eastern Libya in response to regulatory measures imposed by the consulate regarding visas to Egypt.
Twenty young men attacked the Libyan security guards, stole a pistol from one of them and fired in the air. They also destroyed the surveillance cameras that were placed at the entrance.
A Libyan journalist was assaulted when he tried to take pictures of the demonstrators.
The demonstrators were intermediaries who obtain visas for Libyan citizens for a commission.
A diplomatic source told AFP the protest erupted when the consulate decided to only grant visas directly to applicants, not through intermediaries.
The cost of a visa is 36 Libyan dinars, while an intermediary takes 150 Libyan dinars from applicants who prefer not to stand in long queues.
The police were near the consulate but did not interfere, as they were insulted by the demonstrators.
Edited translation from AFP Arabic
