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ICC unseals Libya war crimes warrant for militia officer / Photo: Robin Utrecht - ANP/AFP
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ICC unseals Libya war crimes warrant for militia officer
The International Criminal Court on Friday unsealed an arrest warrant for a Libyan militia member accused of war crimes including murder and torture between 2016 and 2017.
The court said there were "reasonable grounds to believe" that Saif Suleiman Sneidel was responsible for war crimes of murder, torture and "outrages upon personal dignity".
The November 2020 warrant found "reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Sneidel participated in three executions where a total of 23 people were murdered", the ICC's prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The crimes were allegedly committed in Benghazi or surrounding areas, in Libya, on or before June 3, 2016 until on or about July 17, 2017.
The prosecutor's office said Sneidel's arrest warrant had been issued under seal to "maximise arrest opportunities" and to minimise risks to the criminal investigation.
"For this reason, no details of the application or warrant could be provided until this stage," it said.
The decision to make it public followed a second application by the prosecutor's office to "increase prospects for arrest".
"We hope to create the momentum for Mr Sneidel's arrest and surrender," said deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said.
"The Court can now discuss issues related to possible arrest with States, the UN Security Council, and the international community at large, fostering support and cooperation."
- Group 50 -
Sneidel is believed to have been serving in Group 50, a sub-unit of the Al-Saiqa Brigade led by the the late Libyan commander, Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf Al-Werfalli.
Prior to his death, Al-Werfalli was the subject of two ICC arrest warrants for eight executions in Benghazi, three of which the prosecution alleges Sneidel took part in.
"The prosecution alleges that Mr Sneidel was a close associate of Mr Al-Werfalli, and had an important leadership role alongside him in the Al-Saiqa Brigade," the statement said.
The ICC has been investigating atrocities in Libya since 2011, following a referral from the United Nations Security Council.
The ICC also confirmed that another Libyan suspect, Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, had been arrested by German authorities on July 16, 2025 for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
He remains in custody in Germany pending legal proceedings.
Libya has faced years of instability, militia violence and fractured government since Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011 near his hometown of Sirte during the Arab Spring uprising.
T. MacDonald--SMC
