1 – 7 Nov: UK asks Libya to extradite Abedi

Nov 7, 2017 | International actors

On 1 November, British police said they had issued an arrest warrant for Hasham Abedi, the brother of Salman Abedi who carried out the Manchester bombings in May. Abedi is wanted in connection for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion. The British police said that prosecutors had asked Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) to extradite him.

Abedi is being held by the Rada Special Deterrent Forces. Rada arrested him shortly after the Manchester bombings and say they have proof he was part of an ISIS cell in Libya. On 2 November, Rada initially said that they will not extradite him to the UK but later their spokesperson said it would cooperate, “If there is agreement between the (Libyan) attorney general and the British authorities.”

According to media reports, a Libyan law firm is due to submit a law suit against Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar to the American courts on charges of war crimes and human rights violations. Another law suit was filed last month in the US against Haftar and his sons, Saddam and Sadiq Haftar, by Libyan activist Emadeddin Muntasser. Muntasser accuses the Haftars of human rights violations and torture.

On 1 November, another of Haftar’s sons, Khalid Haftar, reportedly signed a six-month contract worth $20,000 a month with Washington lobbyist Daniel Faraci of Grassroots Political Consulting to officially lobby on behalf of Khalifa Haftar in the US. The contract states that Grassroots will officially, “provide political and strategic advocacy in the US Congress” on behalf of the Haftar family and that it will provide, “political, strategic, and business guidance” to Haftar.