Skip to main content

Libyan Commander Wanted By ICC Released After Protests

Maj. Mahmoud al-Werfalli PHOTO: Aljazeera
A Libyan commander wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over a series of summary executions was released on Thursday, a day after handing himself in to military authorities in eastern Libya, a military source said.
Supporters of the commander, Mahmoud al-Werfalli, had demonstrated in the eastern city of Benghazi late on Wednesday against any legal action being taken against him, closing roads and burning tires.
Some held signs reading “We are all Maj. Mahmoud al-Werfalli”.
Werfalli is a commander in an elite unit attached to the Libyan National Army (LNA), the dominant force in eastern Libya.
It rejects the internationally recognised government in Tripoli and is aligned with a separate government based in the east.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Werfalli in August 2017, accusing him of a role in the summary killings of 33 people between June 2016 and July 2017, as the LNA neared the completion of its campaign to take control of Benghazi.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor reiterated her call for the LNA’s top commander Khalifa Haftar to hand over Werfalli after a video purportedly showed him shooting dead 10 blindfolded prisoners at the site of a car bombing in Benghazi in February.
A military source said Werfalli had returned to Benghazi overnight “after the completion of investigative procedures concerning the case of the International Criminal Court”.
There was no official comment on his release.
By Thursday morning, the protests had subsided and roads in Benghazi had reopened.
LNA leader Haftar is a likely candidate in elections that the UN says it is hoping to hold by the end of the year in an effort to help unify Libya.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

BANDIT GUNRUNNER ARRESTED

  Police in Zaria city arrested Bilyaminu Saidu 33years, a gun runner, bandit & logistics supplier. He was arrested with 4 AK-47 rifles, 344 rounds of live ammunition & one motorcycle. Bilyaminu is an indigene of Shuwaki village in Bakori LGA of Katsina state.

Two teenagers arrested for raping 14-year-old girl in Ogun State

                            Two teenagers, Abiodun Ishola (19) and Kehinde Oloyede (18), have been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in Obantoko. The Command Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the suspects were arrested April 28, 2018 following a complaint from the victim who reported to the police. He said the victim, a hairdressing apprentice, said she was going to her boss’ shop on that day, and unknown to her, there was restriction of movement due to a sanitation exercise. He said one of the suspects, Ishola, who was sitting down in front of his father’s house informed her of the restriction of movement and asked her to come and stay in their house till the exercise ended. The victim told the police that while she was staying with Ishola, he took her bag inside...

EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu warns banks against suspicious transactions

                                   The Acting Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu on Friday, February 15, advised Compliance officers of banks to report suspicious transactions to the EFCC as the general elections commence. Magu stated this during a meeting with compliance officers of various banks in Benin City, Edo State on Friday. Magu who was represented by Mailafia Yakubu, Benin Zonal Head of the Commission said based on information at the disposal of the Commission, politicians may want to use banks for illicit transactions before, during and after the elections.  "Once the transaction is above the stipulated treashold, you have a duty to report to us. We want to warn you not to be used by politicians. So be circumspect, "  he said. The acting chairman also warned the bank officials to desist from disclosing information to suspects wanted by the Commission who op...