Arabic news channel Al Arabiya is reporting that a local radio station in Misurata, 125 miles east of Tripoli, has been bombed by military helicopters. It is unclear at this stage whether anyone has been injured.
The radio station has reportedly been broadcasting pro-freedom messages since Misurata fell into the hands of Libya’s anti-government rebels last week. Reports suggest that the bombing began in the early hours of this morning, and that a military aircraft thought to have been part of the attack has been shot down by anti-Gaddafi rebels.
The Financial Times has an eye-witness report from Misurata, which says that an aircraft was shot down while attempting to land at 4am.
(Source: journalism.co.uk)
Andy Sennitt adds: Later reports indicate that the aircraft was firing on the station’s transmission tower rather than the studios. It’s unlikely that the aircraft crew would have known the exact location of the studios. I haven’t seen any reports indicating how serious the damage was, or if the station is still broadcasting.
(Radio Netherlands Media Network Weblog)
Additional story The War of Words in Libya
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/war-words-libya
