On 3 January, the Internal Security Agency (ISA) arrested a suspected IS (Islamic State) member from Syria in the west of Tripoli in al-Seyaheyya. The man had entered the country via Benghazi-Benina.
On 4 January, the Special Deterrence Force (Rada) announced the arrest of Hashem Abu Sidra aka Khubayb, the emir of IS in Libya, in Tripoli a few days ago. The arrest of Abu Sidra was only announced after a delay for tactical reasons, after four other IS terrorists had been arrested, one of them in al-Seyaheyya. The arrest was reportedly made with the support of Western intelligence services.
On 5 January, Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabaiba congratulated the Rada Force on the arrest of Khubayb. He said it is a national duty to pursue those who shed the blood of ‘our children’ and spread terrorism in the country.