Mehdi Mohammed Zeyo محمد | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1962 |
| Died | 20 February 2011(2011-02-20) (aged 49) |
| Cause of death | Altruistic suicide; blew up gates to military base inBenghazi |
| Occupation(s) | Middle Manager, National Oil Company |
Mehdi Mohammed Zeyo (c. 1962 – 20 February 2011) was aLibyan middle manager for a state oil company inBenghazi,Libya. In the wake of theLibyan Civil War, Zeyo found he could no longer bury the civilian youth killed byMuammar Gaddafi's forces; he subsequently decided to use his car to blow up the gates to a military base inBenghazi.[1] This allowed the civilian oppositional fighters to overrun the base and claimBenghazi as an oppositional stronghold in theLibyan Civil War.[1]
NPR reporter Lourdes Garcia-Navarro describes Zeyo as "the most unlikely hero of theLibyan Civil War."[2] As an older gentleman of 49 amongst the youth democracy protesters, the middle-manager for a state oil company joined the peaceful protest movement as soon as it began.[2]
