On 19 January, the Italian authorities arrested Osama Najeem (aka al-Masri) in Turin acting on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over war crimes accusations.
According to Italian reports, Najeem was caught in a hotel following a tip from Interpol and was in Turin in the company of other Libyans. He is a senior commander of the Judicial Police, which is closely linked to the Special Deterrence Force (Rada) which controls Mitiga airport and prison in Tripoli. Najeem reportedly runs a migrant detention facility in Tripoli. Italian migrant rescue charity Mediterranea hailed the arrest saying it came after ‘years of complaints and testimonies from victims’.
The details of the charges against Najeem are unclear as the arrest warrant is not public, nor has it been confirmed by the ICC as yet.