London teenager drops Wii for gun to join rebels
Sam shifts nervously from foot to foot, his hands gently chopping the air as if to emphasise what motivated him to quit his marketing degree in London, leave his friends behind and head to the front lines in the Libyan Desert.
"I just couldn't sit there and watch the news, I was going mad. I felt I had to do something, you know whatta mean?" he said in a London accent full of glottal stops and double negatives.
After getting his parents' approval last week, Sam left for Egypt, where he joined a middle-aged businessman and an older doctor – each with their own past – to cross the border into eastern Libya, get some military training and join the fight.
"I just hope they show me how to use a gun," said the London teenager as he prepared to join rebels in his native Libya fighting to overthrow strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
"I have no idea how to use a gun. My only experience with a gun has been on a Wii," the video game console, Sam said, letting out a giggle.
The stocky 19-year-old, who loves football, grew up in London "not speaking a word of Arabic."
He spent a year in Libya in his early teenage years to learn the language and to familiarise himself with Libyan culture and traditions.
Sam is one of thousands of Libyans who were scattered across the globe after Gaddafi, who came to [...]
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