Italy has released the head of Libya's judicial police who directs Tripoli's Mitiga detention centre, a government source told AFP on Tuesday, just days after he was arrested on an international arrest warrant.
Osama Najim, also known as Almasri, was arrested Sunday at a Turin hotel on an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after a tip from Interpol, according to local media.
But a government source speaking on condition of anonymity said on Tuesday that he had been released and was on a plane to Libya, without providing a reason for the release.
International human rights groups have long condemned abuses in Libyan detention centres, citing widespread violence and torture.
Rome's controversial deal with Libya -- dating from 2017 and renewed under the hard-right government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- involves providing funding and training to the Libyan coastguard.
In exchange, Libya is expected to help stem the departure of migrants to Italy, or return those already at sea back to Libya, where they are often taken to such detention centres.
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