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The International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed its surprise at the Italian authorities' release of the head of the Judicial Police, Osama Njeem, after his arrest at the ICC's request.

ICC said in a statement on its official website that the Italian authorities released Njeem suddenly and transferred him to Libya without notifying it. The ICC demanded an urgent clarification from Italy regarding this procedure, considering that it raises questions about Rome's commitment to cooperate with the ICC.

The ICC confirmed that it had issued an arrest warrant by a majority of its members against Njeem on January 18, accusing him of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes. It explained that Njeem, who was responsible for the Mitiga prison affiliated with the Special Deterrence Force, faces charges of detaining thousands of people for long periods, and committing crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, according to the statement.

The ICC said that it was still pursuing seven Libyans with outstanding arrest warrants, namely Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Abdul Rahim Khalifa al-Hajjaji, Makhlouf Arhuma Douma, Nasser Muhammad Daw, Mohammed Al-Salihin Al-Salmi, Abdul Bari Ayyad Al-Shaqaqi, and Fathi Faraj Al-Zankal.