On 29 October, the South Liberation Operations Rooms (SLOR) claimed that its counterterrorism force division had arrested a transnational terrorist cell operating between Niger and Mali. It said the cell had been arrested at the El Salvador Pass at the tri-border area between Libya, Niger, and Algeria.
The SLOR claimed that the cell had allegedly been involved in the recent release of Western nationals to Saddam Haftar in exchange for a ransom, logistical support, guided weapons, loitering munitions and drones. The SLOR also claimed that the two EU nationals and the U.S. national recently released to the Libyan National Army (LNA) were amongst the cell’s victims.
The SLOR political office spokesperson, Bashir al-Sheikh, stated that the captured cell was involved in numerous terrorist activities across west Africa, including smuggling, narcotic trafficking, kidnap-for-ransom, negotiation on behalf of other terrorist groups. Al-Sheikh added that the detainees, along with multiple pieces of collected evidence, shall be transferred to the internationally recognized authorities in Libya and they will work to transfer the evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for further investigation.