| Mehdi Mohammed Zeyo محمد |
|
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1962 Libya |
| Died | 20 February 2011 (aged 49) Benghazi, Libya |
| Cause of death | Altruistic suicide; blew up gates to military base in Benghazi |
| Nationality | Libya |
| Occupation | Middle Manager, National Oil Company |
Mehdi Mohammed Zeyo (c. 1962 – 20 February 2011) was a Libyan middle manager for a state oil company in Benghazi, Libya. In the wake of the 2011 Libyan civil war in Libya, Zeyo found he could no longer bury the civilian youth killed by Muammar Gaddafi's forces; he subsequently decided to use his car to blow up the gates to a military base in Benghazi.[1] This allowed the civilian oppositional fighters to overrun the base and claim Benghazi as an oppositional stronghold in the 2011 Libyan civil war.[1]
NPR reporter Lourdes Garcia-Navarro describes Zeyo as "the most unlikely hero of the 2011 Libyan 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]