Osama Elmasry Njeem faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over his role in running notorious prison

But Tarik Lamloum, a Libyan activist working with the Belaady Organization for Human Rights which focuses on migrants in Libya, said Italy’s release of al-Masri was expected. He said his release shows the power of militias who control the flow of migrants to Europe through Libya’s shores.

ROME (AP) — Italian police arrested a Libyan warlord on a warrant from the International Criminal Court, but an Italian tribunal refused to approve the arrest and he was instead sent back to Libya, Italy's state-run RAI television reported.

A senior member of Libya's judicial police has been given a hero's welcome back home after Italy unexpectedly released him from jail just two days after arresting him on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said Tuesday he was weighing whether to send the case of the head of Libya judicial police, arrested in Turin Sunday, to Rome's prosecutor general (PG) given the "complex" file against an allegedly brutal official wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Italy's government said Thursday a Libyan police chief arrested on a war crimes warrant was flown home after a court found no basis to detain him -- and he was too dangerous to remain.

In response to Italy’s failure to surrender Osama Elmasry Njeem to the International Criminal Court (ICC), FIDH joins Libyan, Italian, and (…)

Responding to reports of the arrest in Italy of Osama Njeem, long-term member of the Tripoli-based militia Deterrence Apparatus for Combatting Terrorism

The International Criminal Court on Wednesday confirmed it had issued an arrest warrant for the head of Libya's judicial police on war crimes and crimes against humanity charges, a day after Italy released him.

A Libyan warlord was arrested in Italy on an ICC warrant but was expelled back to Libya after a tribunal's refusal to approve the arrest.

The reaction came after the Italian government on Tuesday released and sent back home Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama al-Masri.

Al-Masri had been arrested Sunday in Turin, where he reportedly had attended the Juventus-Milan soccer match the night before. The ICC warrant, dated the day before, accused al-Masri of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Mitiga prison in Libya starting in 2015 that are punishable with life in prison.