LIBYA yesterday executed eight people, six senior military officers and two civilians, convicted of spying for the United States. The six officers were shot and the two civilians hanged.
The Libyan high military court on Wednesday upheld a lower court's death sentences. Libyan television showed an unidentified accuser saying that the defendants had used "sophisticated equipment" provided by the CIA.
"You mobilised yourselves as spies against your country and allowed the enemies to get hold of your country's military, economic and security capabilities by using sophisticated equipment supplied by the CIA," he said.
The officers convicted were named as Col Muftah Mohammad Garum, Staff Col Mustafa Abu alQassem Massud, Flight Lt Col Saad Saleh Faraj, Major Khalil Salim Mohammad, Major Ramadan Mohammad Ali and Major Mustafa Hubayl. The two civilians were Misbah Saad Misbah and Sulayman Ghayt Muftah.
In March 1994, Col Garum said in a televised confession that "while in Switzerland for treatment, [he] had been in contact with some Libyans abroad who were in contact with Americans who wanted him to provide them with information on the Rabta factory and Libyan missile development programme.