ICC unseals Libya war crimes warrant for militia officer
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Reactions pour in criticising Israel's killing of Al Jazeera crew
Five staff members of the Doha-based broadcaster, Al Jazeera, including correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, were killed in the early hours of Monday in a targeted Israeli strike. Al-Sharif was widely regarded by many as "the voice of Gaza" and has garnered popularity across the Arab world for his work covering the war in Gaza. Al-Sharif predominantly operated out of the north of the Strip, mainly Gaza City, where he covered everything from the raids of the al-Shifa Hospital, to Israeli ground operations and the blockade on aid. Israel accused him of being the "head of a terrorist cell" linked to Hamas, but provided no evidence to support the claim. After his death, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) posted on X, alleging that al-Sharif was masking as a journalist. Al Jazeera slammed Israel for the deliberate targeting of its journalists, calling it "a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza." The broadcaster also noted that al-Sharif was not the first of its journalists to be targeted and killed for their reporting in Gaza and called on Israel to produce "real evidence" to support their claims of their journalists being Hamas operatives. The IDF did provide a spreadsheet alleging a link between al-Sharif and Hamas, which has been widely criticised on social media as people demand Israeli officials provide hard evidence. German, UK governments condemn killing Officials from Germany and the United Kingdom have condemned Israel's targeting and killing of the media crew. German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Josef Hinterseher said his government was dismayed over the killing, adding that Israel has several questions it must provide answers to. He stressed that Israel must explain why it disregarded the protected status of the journalist it targeted and why the attack also killed his colleagues. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said that he is "gravely concerned" about the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza, asserting that journalists must not be targeted for carrying out their duties. The European Union The EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, has also spoken about the killings. In a post on her social media platforms, Lahbib said she was "horrified" to learn of the killing of the Al Jazeera journalists. "A direct hit on freedom of the press. Since Oct. 2023, at least 186 journalists have been killed. Civilians must be protected, access secured & the press safeguarded. Always," she added. Qatar Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani blasted Israel for its killing of journalists working for the Doha-based broadcaster. In a statement, he said Israel continues to "commit crimes beyond imagination" and criticised the international community and its laws and structures for its inability to "stop this tragedy." The Qatari premier and top diplomat stressed that journalism is not a crime while highlighting that deliberately targeting journalists is a war crime. International organisations The United Nations Human Rights Office has condemned the killing of al-Sharif and the Al Jazeera team, calling it a "grave breach of international humanitarian law." "Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists," it said in a social media post, noting that at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. "We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists," the office added. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also issued a statement of condemnation following the attack. In a post on X, the organisation slammed Israel for the fatal air strike without providing credible evidence to verify their claims of his Hamas links. They also paid tribute to al-Sharif's journalistic work in the enclave. "A journalist of a rare calibre" Euronews spoke with a member of senior management at Al Jazeera and a former colleague of al-Sharif's, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to a lack of authorisation to comment publicly. He said it was appalling how the international community and media organisations continue to provide impunity for Israeli crimes. "[The assassination] is a test of the world's conscience, but before that, it is a test of the conscience of journalists worldwide," he said. "It is deeply saddening to see today some international media outlets choosing to ignore his killing at the hands of a brutal regime and even echoing the Israeli narrative accusing him of leading a Hamas cell, once again without presenting a single piece of evidence." He added that the evidence Israel provided is not logical, stating that al-Sharif's duties saw him work for long periods, sometimes exceeding 12 hours a day, making it almost impossible to "run a terrorist cell" simultaneously. "Anas spent more than two years almost permanently stationed in the journalists' tent, appearing repeatedly on television, anywhere between 10-15 live crosses daily, and during that time leading no other 'secret' life," he added. They also spoke of al-Sharif's journalistic integrity and accuracy, characteristics he was renowned for since joining the broadcaster. "Anas al-Sharif joined Al Jazeera years ago, initially as a fact-checking investigator in Gaza, where he was of great help to me and my department," he said. "Since he transitioned to television news, and began appearing on screen, no one has been able to question the accuracy of any piece of information he reported. He was thus a model of a journalist of a rare calibre, in an era where falsification has become widespread." Al-Sharif's former colleague says it's "a disgrace" for those who claim to defend the truth to resort to what he called "baseless accusations coming from a party that commits its crimes live on air."
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Al Jazeera journalists hold vigil for staff slain in Gaza
Wael Al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, stands with anchor and presenter Mohamed Krichen and presenter Tamer Almisshal during a moment of silence to honour five of their colleagues killed in an overnight Israeli strike in Gaza City Anas al-Sharif, a recognisable face on the channel, correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were killed in the Israeli attack on Sunday. Scores congregated in an Al Jazeera Arabic studio and newsroom in the Qatari capital to condemn the killings, promising to continue their reporting on the 22-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Some held pictures of the journalists killed in a strike on their tent in Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian territory. Among those present in Doha were Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdouh, whose wife and children were killed in Israeli strikes, and camera operator Fadi Al Wahidi who was left paralysed by a gunshot wound to the neck while reporting in the territory. "Every time we lose a loved one and a colleague, we lose a part of this... family of journalists. This is something extremely difficult and painful," Al-Dahdouh told AFP following the vigil. "We stand in solidarity... and we take whatever action we can, but blatant attacks against international law and against everything continue," he added. The Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out the attack on Al-Sharif, alleging that he was a "terrorist" who "posed as a journalist". Tamer Almisshal, a senior presenter at Al Jazeera overseeing coverage in Gaza, told AFP the Israeli assertions were "fabricated" and "baseless", adding that it was not the first time the Qatar-based channel's journalists in Gaza had been accused of being affiliated with militant groups after being killed. "Israel, by killing and targeting our correspondents and our team in Gaza, they want to kill the truth," Almisshal added. In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists called for Al-Sharif's protection and accused the Israeli military of carrying out online attacks on the reporter by claiming that he was a member of Hamas. With Gaza sealed off, many media groups around the world, including AFP, depend on photo, video and text coverage of the conflict provided by Palestinian reporters. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in early July that more than 200 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began, including several Al Jazeera journalists. Al-Dahdouh explained those journalists still in Gaza "face attacks, murder, fear, hunger, displacement, thirst... after a while, we couldn't recognise many of our colleagues because they had simply lost half their body weight". "Their love for this profession... keeps them connected and carrying out this duty," he added. © 2025 AFP
Euronews
11 hours ago
- Euronews
Five Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli strike on Gaza City
Israeli forces killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and seven other people in a targeted airstrike Sunday outside Gaza City's Shifa Hospital complex, hospital officials said. The strike killed al-Sharif, another Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Qureiqa and three camera operators who were sheltering near the hospital's emergency building, which was damaged in the attack. Three more people were killed in the strike. The Israeli military confirmed it had targeted al-Sharif, stating he was a Hamas cell leader who "posed as a journalist," a claim al-Sharif and his network had previously denied. The IDF posted intelligence and documents it said it had found in Gaza linking him directly to Hamas. The military also claimed al-Sharif had "advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops". The strike came less than a year after Israeli army officials first accused al-Sharif and other Al Jazeera journalists of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In a 24 July video, Israel's army spokesperson Avichay Adraee criticised the Qatar-based network and accused al-Sharif of being part of Hamas' military wing. Last month, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) raised concerns for his safety, saying he was targeted by "an Israeli military smear campaign.' Al Jazeera condemned the attack on Sunday, labelling it a "targeted assassination". Al-Sharif, a well-known 28-year-old Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent, has extensively reported on the war in Gaza from inside the Strip amid an ongoing media blackout imposed by Israel. A last message that appeared to have been posted by a friend appeared on Anas al-Sharif's X account shortly after his death. In the post, the Al Jazeera correspondent said in his "will and final message" that he "gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people." 'I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification,' the 28-year-old wrote. Al-Sharif and other journalists killed on Sunday are the latest to die in what observers have called the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, some 186 journalists have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.
