Libyan war crimes suspect arrested in Germany on ICC warrant

German authorities have arrested a Libyan war crimes suspect accused of being a senior official for a notorious prison where inmates were routinely tortured, the International Criminal Court said on Friday.

Khaled Mohamed Ali Al Hishri was arrested on Wednesday, German authorities said. The ICC said he would remain in German custody, pending the completion of national proceedings.

Prosecutors at the ICC accuse Al Hishri of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, torture and rape from February 2015 until early 2020, a period during which he was allegedly one of the most senior officials in the Mitiga prison.

Brutality and torture

According to the prosecution, Mitiga prison was the largest detention facility in western Libya, where thousands of detainees were held and were subjected to brutal interrogations and torture.

It is a critical time for the ICC. Its prosecutor and four judges are facing U.S. sanctions in retaliation for an arrest warrant it issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

A number of European ICC member states, including Germany , have also been critical of the warrant for Netanyahu.

The court has been investigating allegations of serious crimes committed in Libya since the country's 2011 civil war, following a referral by the UN Security Council.