Foreigners fleeing Libya speak of tension, gunfire

[brooklynite]

Source: Reuters

ROME Feb 21 (Reuters) - Foreigners arriving in Italy from Libya on Monday spoke of all-night gunfire, shadowy security men on the streets of Tripoli and hundreds of people at the airport trying to escape the growing violence.

"People are fighting each other in the streets, it's a civil war," said Zoran Siljak, a Serbian paint factory worker who had just landed at Rome Fiumicino Airport from Tripoli. "There are plain-clothed security men with guns at street corners, people queuing up at petrol stations, we heard machineguns shooting all night and everybody said tonight it's going to be worse," he said.

He added that when he arrived at Tripoli airport he found about 1,000 people, mostly foreigners, trying to leave.

"Everything was calm until Sunday, then it all changed in 24 hours. It's not safe at all," he said.

Read more: http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE71K25Y20110221