On 12 February, Abrik al-Mazeg al‑Zwai, a leading member of the former Ajdabiya Revolutionary Shura Council which had close links to various terrorist groups including Ansar al-Sharia, was detained in Misrata. He participated in fighting against the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the Oil Crescent between 2014 and 2016. Mazeg’s family reported that he was abducted by unknown individuals and taken to an undisclosed location.
There was immediate speculation that he had been seized in order to be handed over to the U.S. or to eastern Libyan authorities, especially as his abduction comes just two weeks after Zubayr al-Bakoush was abducted from Tripoli and sent to the US to stand trial for his alleged role in the 2012 attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi. The infamous Misrata militia leader Salah Badi condemned the arrest of Abrik al-Mazeg and demanded his immediate release.