Libyan authorities have apologised after video footage emerged showing graves of British servicemen being vandalised by armed men in Benghazi.

According to reports, the militants - who were liberated last year from Colonel Gaddafi with help from UK forces - attacked more than 150 graves.





The Libyan graves belong to British serviceman killed during the Second World War in North Africa.

Headstones at the Benghazi war cemetery were pulled down and crucifixes destroyed.

The attackers, who were carrying guns and wearing combat fatigues, posted the footage on the web.

The Foreign Office says it believes the attack was carried out by a group of Salafist jihadists, a hardline branch of Islam, because Muslim graves were also desecrated.

Its spokesman said officials from the Embassy in Tripoli immediately visited the sites and raised the issue with the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Benghazi Chief of Police.

The Ambassador also voiced concerns with the Deputy Foreign Minister, the Minister of Interior and the offices of The National Transitional Council (NTC) Chairman Abdul Jalil and Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al Kib.

Earlier it was believed that the attack, which is understood to have taken place last week, was in revenge for US soldiers accidentally burning copies of the Koran in Afghanistan .

The NTC has issued an offical statement, apologising to all Christians and instructed police to make regular patrols to ensure no further attacks occur.





"These actions are the personal actions of specific individuals and do not reflect the views of the National Transitional Council and are nothing to do with the Islamic Faith," the statement read.

"We are Muslims, we know that our God created us from the earth and we will go back to the earth, so all souls belong to God.

"Once again, we hope that the Christian community worldwide can accept our apology for what has happened."

Libya is the resting place for many Commonwealth soldiers who died during intense campaigns against Rommel's German forces, including the famous Rats of Tobruk.

Although freed from authoritarian control with the aid of Nato last year, the country is still struggling to adapt to democracy.