Italian consul shot at in Benghazi

Militants opened fire on the car of the Italian consul in the Libyan city of Benghazi, but he was not injured, officials in Rome and Libya said.

A security detail travelling with Consul Guido De Sanctis returned fire, but the gunmen who were driving in a car alongside Mr De Sanctis' convoy sped away, a Libyan security official said.

The shooting occurred in the evening as Mr De Sanctis was leaving the consulate.

A government official in Rome said Mr De Sanctis was not hurt because he was travelling in an armoured car.

Video footage shown on Sky TG24 showed several gunshots to the windows of the vehicle.

Benghazi was the site of a September 11 attack on the US diplomatic mission that killed four Americans, including the US ambassador to Libya.