Italian authorities have detained a high-ranking member of Libya’s judicial police on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for alleged war crimes, a source familiar with the case revealed on Tuesday.
The arrest took place in Turin, northern Italy, and the case has now been referred to the Italian justice ministry and the Rome appeals court, the source added.
Although the suspect’s identity has not been officially disclosed, Italian media reports named him as Njeem Osama Elamsry. Libyan government records reportedly list him as Osama Njeem.
The man, who managed a migrant detention center in Tripoli and was linked to the powerful Special Deterrence Force, was arrested in a hotel after a tip-off from Interpol. He was reportedly accompanied by other Libyans at the time, according to La Repubblica.
The arrest has drawn attention to controversial agreements between Italy, the European Union, and Libya to curb migrant crossings. Italian rescue charity Mediterranea welcomed the arrest, criticizing these deals for enabling abuse and exploitation of migrants in Libyan facilities.
The United Nations and organizations like Doctors Without Borders have repeatedly condemned these arrangements, citing widespread human rights violations in Libyan detention centers.
Libyan authorities and the ICC have not yet commented on the arrest.
