Journalists were ordered out of the devastated eastern Libyan city of Derna on Tuesday, the morning after demonstrators staged a rally and torched the home of the ousted mayor in fury over the authorities' failure to protect the city from floods.
Arab broadcaster Al Hurra reported that the authorities had asked all journalists to depart as soon as possible. An Al Jazeera correspondent reporting from the city said he had been told to leave.
Hichem Abu Chkiouat, minister of civil aviation in the administration that runs eastern Libya, said by phone that the decision to move journalists was unrelated to the protests there overnight.