In a targeted security operation, investigative members of the Security Affairs Department, in collaboration with the Emergency Police Section of the Ajdabiya Security Directorate, successfully raided a clandestine site used as an illegal detention facility for irregular migrants. The operation led to the liberation of 104 individuals of various nationalities, including women, who were held in dire humanitarian conditions.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the detainees were subjected to severe abuses, including physical and psychological torture, within a location utterly devoid of basic human necessities such as lighting and ventilation, and had been left without food or water for several days. Security authorities confirmed that some detainees were found with their hands and feet bound, and brutal torture methods were employed against them to extort their relatives financially, through sending humiliating video clips.
The operation also resulted in the apprehension of a seven-member criminal gang, comprising four Libyans, two Sudanese nationals, and one Egyptian. Investigations established that this gang sought illicit financial gains either by selling the detainees to human traffickers or by extorting their families for ransom.
Immediately following the rescue, competent authorities began providing necessary healthcare and humanitarian aid to the liberated migrants, pending the completion of their repatriation procedures in coordination with relevant bodies.
All involved perpetrators were arrested and referred for investigation, paving the way for their prosecution. Furthermore, the site used as the illegal detention centre was destroyed to prevent the recurrence of such horrific crimes.
The Ajdabiya Security Directorate affirmed in an official statement that police forces would relentlessly pursue organised crime dens and would strike with an iron fist against anyone who contemplates harming the security of citizens and residents or exploiting vulnerable segments of society. The Directorate emphasised that the security of Ajdabiya and its neighbouring areas remains “a trust in the hands of security personnel.”