Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has been kidnapped in the capital, Tripoli, the Libyan government has announced.

“The head of the transitional government, Ali Zeidan, was taken to an unknown destination for unknown reasons” during the early hours of Thursday, the Libyan government said in a statement.

A hotel clerk, who was not authorized to speak to the media, said anonymously that armed rebels escorted Zeidan from Corinthian Hotel in the capital into a convoy of waiting cars.

The kidnapping took place a day after the Libyan premier called for an end to the militancy in the country.

Zeidan told the state-run BBC that Libya was being used to export weapons throughout the region.

The abduction of the Libyan prime minister was made a couple of days after US forces carried out a raid in Tripoli to kidnap alleged al-Qaeda operative Abu Anas al-Libi.

Al-Libi, 49 years old, is reportedly being held captive and questioned on American warship USS San Antonio in international waters.

The Libyan government regards the US raid in Tripoli as a case of abduction. They have summoned the US ambassador over the move.

On October 8, Zeidan had told reporters in Tripoli, “Our relationship with the USA is important, and we care about that, but we care too about our citizens, which is our duty.”