Libya asks ICC to support probe into attacks on civilian facilities

Tripoli: Libya has requested support from the International Criminal Court in investigating attacks on vital civilian facilities in the capital Tripoli and the western city of Zawiya, the Libyan Presidential Council said in a statement late on Saturday.

The request seeks technical, legal and judicial assistance to support Libyan authorities’ investigations, share the investigative burden, help establish the circumstances of the incidents and identify those responsible, according to the statement.

Preliminary investigations by relevant Libyan institutions indicated that the attacks were part of what the authorities described as a broader plan targeting civilian infrastructure, including fuel storage facilities and power stations, while putting civilians’ lives at risk.

The council said security agencies and the National Safety Authority had contained some of the operations and prevented others from being carried out.

Given the nature and gravity of the incidents and the circumstances surrounding them, they could constitute crimes against humanity or genocide, according to a legal assessment by the Libyan authorities, the statement said.

Earlier this month, Libya’s internationally recognised government of national unity announced that it had dismantled an organised sabotage cell and arrested five Libyans and foreigners allegedly involved in suicide drone attacks on oil and electricity facilities in Tripoli and Zawiya.

It said investigations were ongoing to identify other individuals involved and the parties that planned, financed or supported the operations.

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