Libyan warlord who Meloni’s government released is arrested in Tripoli

Al-Masri, long known as a key figure at Libya’s Mitiga prison, was previously arrested in Turin on Jan. 19 after attending a Juventus football match, following an International Criminal Court arrest warrant accusing him of war crimes, torture, murder and sexual violence. Despite those charges, Italy released him after 48 hours, a move that sparked outrage in Rome and prompted the Court of Ministers to open an investigation into Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano over allegations they facilitated Al-Masri’s return to Libya. The inquiry was ultimately dismissed by Italy’s lower house of parliament, where the government holds a majority, in early October. Government critics accused Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s administration of returning Al-Masri to Libya to protect Italian energy interests and prevent potential retaliation, including threats to curb cooperation on migration control. The Italian government, for its part, defended the decision as a matter of legal procedure and national security. On Nov. 2, Rome and Tripoli renewed for three more years the controversial Italy-Libya Memorandum of Understanding, a deal in which the Libyan coastguard would block the departure of migrants from the African continent. Hannah Roberts contributed to this report.