"I know him well. His name is Osama. He is the head of a militia in Libya," a man who was detained in Libyan prisons told Italian state television in an interview broadcast on January 22. The man said that he had directly witnessed crimes by the Libyan Najeem Osama al-Masri (also referred to as Osama Najim or Almasri, ed. note).

He was speaking during an exclusive television interview on Rai 3.

Al-Masri is in charge of the Tripoli branch of the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution, a notorious network of detention centers run by the government-backed Special Defense Force.

"I know him because I was in the prison in Zawiya. He is the head of the prison in Mitiga, as well as in Zawiya. In Zawiya he is in charge of a prison," the witness added in the interview.

"He takes migrants from the sea and brings them to the prison. Then they must pay to get out. He is a trafficker. He is the head [of a network, ed.]. Everyone knows him, all the migrants in Libya."

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'He kills people with his own hands to intimidate'

An arrest warrant has been issued for al-Masri by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He was arrested in Italy on Saturday but was subsequently released and repatriated on January 21 to Libya.

"I was inside [the prison, ed.]. I paid 7,000 dinars to get out. If I had paid more, 10,000 dinars, I could have returned on a boat in the sea and I would have been sure of arriving in Italy. He told me this himself, personally," the witness said.

"When we speak about migrants in Libya, he is the top person because he controls the sector of the sea. He is the one. It's his group that helps people depart via sea. When you are inside, you don't have the possibility to eat. This can last even two months. If you want to die, you die; it isn't his problem. And you can't speak. If you speak, they beat you and they disappear you to frighten those [others, Ed.] that are inside," he added.

"I had a friend. They took him out and even now I do not know whether he is still alive. I did not see him again. To frighten the people inside, he kills a few people inside. Even using his hands. I saw this," he claimed, "more than once."

"Two young men" were killed in this manner in front of him by Masri, he added.

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Interior ministry to report on case next week in parliament

The ICC reacted after the release of the Libyan general on January 21, "without advance notice" or any sort of consultation, despite its warrant against him on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Hague-based court issued a statement reminding Italy that it is obliged to "cooperate fully" with its prosecutions and said it was still awaiting information about Rome's actions.

Italy's opposition factions have accused the government of having freed a "torturer".

Former Premier Matteo Renzi, now head of the Italia Viva party, accused the right-wing government of hypocrisy given its repeated claims of cracking down on human traffickers. "But when a trafficker whom the International Criminal Court tells us is a dangerous criminal lands on your table, it's not like you chase him down. You brought him home to Libya with a plane of the Italian secret services," he reportedly stated.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi is expected to speak next week in parliament on the case.

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ICC abstains from comment

The man under investigation was held in custody while waiting for the necessary procedures for his being handed over to be completed, the ICC noted in the statement. It added that, on the request of and in full respect for the Italian authorities, the ICC "abstained from commenting publicly" on the arrest.

However, it noted, that Italy had allegedly on January 21 -- without advance notice or consultation with the ICC -- released Masri and taken him back to Libya. It added that the court is seeking clarification on what the Italian authorities have done. It noted that all states are obliged to cooperate fully with the ICC in its investigations and penalties for crimes committed.

Judges from Rome's appeals court did not convalidate the arrest because it had not been preceded by communication with the justice minister, who is tasked with relations with the ICC.

The man was thus released on Tuesday evening and reportedly repatriated to Tripoli on a secret services flight for reasons of urgency and security, given the dangerousness of the man and the risks involved in transporting him on a regular airline.

After landing, he was welcomed in triumph by dozens of his supporters, who are seen celebrating in videos circulating on Libyan social media.