A statement from the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, a militia which controls Zintan said Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been released from prison late on Saturday.

According to fighters who control the facility, Saif al-Islam, 44, was captured in Zintan in November 2011 as he was fleeing to Niger after opposition fighters seized Tripoli.

He was sentenced to death in July 2015 by a court in Tripoli in a mass trial of former Gaddafi government officials.

According to Al Jazeera, he is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The commander of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, Ajmi al-Atiri, is set to release a video statement explaining the details of the release.

Since Gaddafi’s four-decade rule ended in 2011, Libya has struggled to establish basic institutions and rule of law, with militias and former fighters challenging the authority of the weak central government.

#Gaddafi son Saif al-Islam “freed & no longer in #Zintan“, statement by #Libya‘s Abu Bakr al-Siddiq battalion https://t.co/e5Op2inliG pic.twitter.com/Q6WiN7OIOZ

— SaadAbedine (@SaadAbedine) June 10, 2017


Photo Credit: Getty Images