Libya's parliamentary secretariat suspended interior minister and referred him for investigation after riots in the city of Benghazi that resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people. Sunday was declared a day of mourning for "our martyr sons," an official statement has said.
the six-hour riot took place on Friday outside the Italian consulate, where more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered in an angry protest, apparently in reaction to an Italian Cabinet minister who said he would wear a T-shirt printed with the cartoons satirizing Prophet Muhammad.
The crowd hurled rocks and bottles before storming the building and setting fire to it and cars nearby.
Police used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the protestors.
The Italian Reform Minister Roberto Calderoli resigned Saturday after being blamed by Libya for sparking the protests, ANSA news agency reported. The 49-year-old minister drew strong criticism from his colleagues in the cabinet for wearing the T-shirt and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had asked to step down.
