Daily Times

The International Criminal Court revealed Thursday it has issued a second arrest warrant for a Libyan military commander accused of shooting dead 10 jihadist prisoners after a Benghazi mosque attack.

The new warrant for Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf Al-Werfalli, issued Wednesday, cites “his alleged responsibility for murder as a war crime” in the Libyan conflict, the ICC said in a statement.

Despite an earlier warrant issued in August, Werfalli, a commander of the Benghazi-based Al-Saiqa Brigade loyal to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, has remained at large.

Now ICC judges have found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Werfalli “allegedly shot dead 10 persons in front of the Bi’at al-Radwan Mosque in Benghazi” on January 24.

Almost 40 people were killed and scores injured in twin car bombings outside the mosque after evening prayers frequented by jihadist opponents in Libya’s second city.

The first warrant accused Werfalli of the cold-blooded executions of at least 33 civilians or injured fighters in seven incidents in 2016 and 2017.

The ICC judges referred to video footage allegedly showing Werfalli personally shooting hooded and bound prisoners, or ordering a firing squad to open fire on them.

In February, Werfalli said in an unconfirmed Facebook video post that he had handed himself in to Haftar, insisting on his innocence, and justifying any executions as “sentences” against jihadist killers.

Published in Daily Times, July 6^th 2018.