Libyan PM Ali Zeidan has called for "rationality
and wisdom" after being freed from the custody of
militiamen.
He was abducted from a Tripoli hotel and held for
several hours by armed men whose identity has yet to
be confirmed.
In a cabinet meeting, the PM thanked "real
revolutionaries" who took part in a security operation
to free him.
The motive of the abduction is unclear but some
militias had been angered by a US commando raid to
capture senior al-Qaeda suspect Anas al-Liby.
Many militia groups saw the raid in Tripoli on Saturday
as a breach of Libyan sovereignty and there is growing
pressure on the government to explain if it was
involved.
One group, the Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room
(LROR), said it had captured Mr Zeidan, claiming it was
acting on orders from the prosecutor general. But the
justice ministry denied this.
The LROR said its actions had not been related to Mr
Liby's detention.
The official Lana news agency also named another
formal rebel group, the Brigade for the Fight against
Crime, as being involved.
Two years after the overthrow of Col Muammar
Gaddafi, Libya still has no constitution and divisions
between secular and Islamist forces have paralysed
parliament.
The government has been struggling to contain the
numerous militias who control many parts of the
country.
'Accidental thing'
Mr Zeidan's cabinet meeting following his release was
shown live on Libya's al-Ahrar television.
He thanked those who had helped free him but gave no
details about them or the abductors.
He said: "I salute the revolutionaries who had an
important role. The real revolutionaries, those who
rose above greedy demands, I salute them for what
they did in this affair."
Mr Zeidan urged them to "assimilate into the state, and
play an active role in it through its civilian and military
institutions".
He added: "Only with an army and the police can a
state exist."
An image was released of Mr Zeidan in custody. The
justice ministry insisted it had not ordered his arrest
The prime minister said of his capture: "These are
accidental things from the revolution's overflow and
they will disappear."
He also said Libya would "regain its health" and be "an
active, positive nation".
Mr Zeidan ended by calling for "caution and rationality
in handling this matter".
A spokesperson for David Cameron said the UK Prime
Minister had spoken to Mr Zeidan since his release and
had promised to help build a "stable, free, peaceful and
prosperous" Libya.
The spokesperson said: "Both leaders agreed that
Libya's democratically elected representatives and
leaders must be able to carry out their duties and
deliver Libya's political transition free from the threat
of kidnap, violence and armed intimidation. A minority
of individuals must not be allowed to undermine that."
Mr Zeidan had been taken in a pre-dawn raid on the
Corinthia Hotel by more than 100 armed men.
Photographs circulating online showed Mr Zeidan
surrounded by what state TV said were armed men as
he was led away. There were no reports of violence
during his capture.
In claiming it carried out the attack, the LROR said it
was acting on the orders of the prosecutor general and
in accordance with a section of Libya's criminal code
relating to "crimes and misdemeanours harmful to
state security".
But Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani said the
prosecutor general had issued no arrest warrant,
according to state-run National Libyan TV.
The prime minister was reportedly held at the interior
ministry anti-crime department in Tripoli, where an
official said he was treated well.
In a news conference shortly before the release was
announced, the government condemned the "criminal
act" of his detention and said it would not give in to
"blackmail".
The LROR is one of a number of militias operating in
Libya which are nominally attached to government
ministries but often act independently and,
correspondents say, often have the upper hand over
police and army forces.
Earlier this week, the prime minister appealed for
Western help in tackling rising militancy in Libya.
In an interview with the BBC on Monday, he said Libya
was being used as a base to export weapons throughout
the region.
Mr Liby, 49, is believed to have been one of the
masterminds behind the 1998 US embassy attacks,
which killed more than 220 people in Kenya and
Tanzania.
He was living openly in Tripoli before his capture by US
commandos early on Saturday morning.
In remains unclear whether the Libyan government had
prior knowledge of the operation to capture him.
Libya asked the US for clarification of the incident and
has questioned the US ambassador, but the PM also
said it would not harm ties with Washington.
and wisdom" after being freed from the custody of
militiamen.
He was abducted from a Tripoli hotel and held for
several hours by armed men whose identity has yet to
be confirmed.
In a cabinet meeting, the PM thanked "real
revolutionaries" who took part in a security operation
to free him.
The motive of the abduction is unclear but some
militias had been angered by a US commando raid to
capture senior al-Qaeda suspect Anas al-Liby.
Many militia groups saw the raid in Tripoli on Saturday
as a breach of Libyan sovereignty and there is growing
pressure on the government to explain if it was
involved.
One group, the Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room
(LROR), said it had captured Mr Zeidan, claiming it was
acting on orders from the prosecutor general. But the
justice ministry denied this.
The LROR said its actions had not been related to Mr
Liby's detention.
The official Lana news agency also named another
formal rebel group, the Brigade for the Fight against
Crime, as being involved.
Two years after the overthrow of Col Muammar
Gaddafi, Libya still has no constitution and divisions
between secular and Islamist forces have paralysed
parliament.
The government has been struggling to contain the
numerous militias who control many parts of the
country.
'Accidental thing'
Mr Zeidan's cabinet meeting following his release was
shown live on Libya's al-Ahrar television.
He thanked those who had helped free him but gave no
details about them or the abductors.
He said: "I salute the revolutionaries who had an
important role. The real revolutionaries, those who
rose above greedy demands, I salute them for what
they did in this affair."
Mr Zeidan urged them to "assimilate into the state, and
play an active role in it through its civilian and military
institutions".
He added: "Only with an army and the police can a
state exist."
An image was released of Mr Zeidan in custody. The
justice ministry insisted it had not ordered his arrest
The prime minister said of his capture: "These are
accidental things from the revolution's overflow and
they will disappear."
He also said Libya would "regain its health" and be "an
active, positive nation".
Mr Zeidan ended by calling for "caution and rationality
in handling this matter".
A spokesperson for David Cameron said the UK Prime
Minister had spoken to Mr Zeidan since his release and
had promised to help build a "stable, free, peaceful and
prosperous" Libya.
The spokesperson said: "Both leaders agreed that
Libya's democratically elected representatives and
leaders must be able to carry out their duties and
deliver Libya's political transition free from the threat
of kidnap, violence and armed intimidation. A minority
of individuals must not be allowed to undermine that."
Mr Zeidan had been taken in a pre-dawn raid on the
Corinthia Hotel by more than 100 armed men.
Photographs circulating online showed Mr Zeidan
surrounded by what state TV said were armed men as
he was led away. There were no reports of violence
during his capture.
In claiming it carried out the attack, the LROR said it
was acting on the orders of the prosecutor general and
in accordance with a section of Libya's criminal code
relating to "crimes and misdemeanours harmful to
state security".
But Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani said the
prosecutor general had issued no arrest warrant,
according to state-run National Libyan TV.
The prime minister was reportedly held at the interior
ministry anti-crime department in Tripoli, where an
official said he was treated well.
In a news conference shortly before the release was
announced, the government condemned the "criminal
act" of his detention and said it would not give in to
"blackmail".
The LROR is one of a number of militias operating in
Libya which are nominally attached to government
ministries but often act independently and,
correspondents say, often have the upper hand over
police and army forces.
Earlier this week, the prime minister appealed for
Western help in tackling rising militancy in Libya.
In an interview with the BBC on Monday, he said Libya
was being used as a base to export weapons throughout
the region.
Mr Liby, 49, is believed to have been one of the
masterminds behind the 1998 US embassy attacks,
which killed more than 220 people in Kenya and
Tanzania.
He was living openly in Tripoli before his capture by US
commandos early on Saturday morning.
In remains unclear whether the Libyan government had
prior knowledge of the operation to capture him.
Libya asked the US for clarification of the incident and
has questioned the US ambassador, but the PM also
said it would not harm ties with Washington.
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