U.S teacher shot dead in Libya

An American teacher has been shot dead in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, local officials told the BBC.

Ronnie Smith, who is reported to be from Texas, taught chemistry at the international school in the city.

The 33-year-old was gunned down earlier on Thursday as he was jogging in the Fweihat district, a popular residential area in the city.

No group has said it carried out the attack. There was no formal statement from the United States embassy in Libya.

However, in a tweet the U.S ambassador to Libya, Deborah Jones, said her heart went out "to the family of the American school teacher."

"Libya's enemies will not succeed in driving away her friends," she wrote in a second post.

The BBC says Mr. Smith was one of the few foreign citizens living in Benghazi.

For more than a year, many foreign governments have advised against all travel to Benghazi by their nationals.

The warnings followed an attack on the U.S consulate in September 2012 in which U.S ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed.