BREAKING NEWS

Libya says will bomb N. Korea-flagged tanker if it ignores orders

Libya will bomb a North Korea-flagged oil tanker trying to load crude at an eastern port controlled by armed protesters if the vessel fails to follow orders from the navy, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said on Saturday.

"The tanker will be bombed if it doesn't follow orders when leaving (the port). This will be an environmental disaster," Zeidan told reporters, calling the docking of the tanker a criminal act violating Libyan's sovereignty.

Authorities had ordered the arrest of the tanker's crew, he said. His comments were the first government reaction since the tanker reached Es Sider port, where protesters earlier said they had started exporting oil, bypassing Tripoli.