Three people died and nine others were wounded after a Libyan fighter jet crashed into a residential area in the eastern city of Tobruk on Tuesday, officials said

A frightened onlooker captured a footage of the Libyan warplane as it spun out of control and plunged into the ground before it exploded. The plane went down 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) away from the seat of parliament, Reuters reported.

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The MiG-21 aircraft accident took place during a military event in honor of Air Force officer Ibrahim Al-Manifi who died in a crash last week in the eastern city of Bayda. Reports said security officials blamed both incidents on mechanical failure.

According to some sources, the jet was controlled by Rafa Al-Farani, a pilot loyal to Libyan General Khalifa Haftar. Both Al-Manifi and Al-Farani were part of Operation Dignity, a military campaign led by Haftar against the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia.

Operation Dignity said in a statement that Al-Manifi’s death was an accident, but the terrorist organization Ansar al-Sharia later claimed they shot the plane down with a missile.

Meanwhile, a British deputy visited the parliament of Libya in a show of solidarity against the rival forces of Ansar al Sharia and Libyan Dawn that seized the city of Tripoli last month.

Reports said that Parliament senior officials and members of the house of representatives relocated in the eastern city of Tobruk after armed factions from the western city of Misrata took over the Tripoli capital.

The militants who seized the capital has also taken control of the U.S. embassy compound a week after they forced rival militias out. A State Department official said the compound remains secure, some reports confirmed.

TagsLibyan jet, pilot, Tobruk, aircraft, Dawn of Libya