On Tuesday, December 23, the Prime Minister of Libya announced that the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, along with four other Libyan officials, tragically lost their lives in a plane crash near the Turkish capital of Ankara.
The Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, described the incident as a “tragic accident”, stating that the officials were on their way back from Ankara when the crash occurred.
The Turkish Ministry of Interior first reported that the aircraft carrying the Libyan military Chief of Staff and four others lost radio contact near Ankara.
In a statement, the Libyan Prime Minister expressed deep sorrow over the loss, describing it as a significant tragedy for the nation, the military, and all its citizens. He hailed the departed officials as exemplary figures of discipline, responsibility, and patriotic dedication.
Turkish gendarmerie forces have located the wreckage of the plane carrying the Libyan Chief of Staff, which vanished shortly after taking off from the capital of Turkey.
The Turkish Minister of Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, announced on social media that the gendarmerie forces found the wreckage of the official jet south of Keci Kavak Village, about 2 kilometers from the Hammana area, approximately 74 kilometers south of Ankara.
Yerlikaya earlier stated that the Falcon 50 official jet, carrying the Libyan military Chief of Staff, took off at 8:10 PM local time on Tuesday, and lost radio contact at 8:52 PM.
He mentioned that the flight, originally destined for Tripoli from Ankara, requested an emergency landing while flying over the Hammana area of Ankara before losing contact.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense had earlier announced the visit of the Libyan Chief of Staff and stated that he had meetings scheduled with the Turkish Minister of National Defense and other military commanders on the same day.
Flight tracking data indicated that some flights were rerouted to avoid flying over the Esenboga Airport in Ankara.
Television footage broadcasted in Turkey showed a flash of light in the area where the aircraft lost radio contact.