Situation in Libya: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I unseals the arrest warrant for Mr Saif Suleiman Sneidel

Today, 8 August 2025, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) decided to unseal the arrest warrant issued initially on 10 November 2020 against Mr Saif Suleiman Sneidel.

Mr Saif Suleiman Sneidel, a Libyan national, is believed to be a member of ‘Group 50’, a sub-group of the Al-Saiqa Brigade commanded by Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf Al-Werfalli, referred to as early as May 2017 as a ‘field commander’ and as early as February 2018 as an officer with the rank of first lieutenant. 

The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that he is responsible for war crimes of murder, torture and outrages upon personal dignity, allegedly committed in Benghazi or surrounding areas, in Libya, on or before 3 June 2016 until on or about 17 July 2017.

‘Decision granting the Prosecution’s second application to unseal the warrant of arrest for Saif Suleiman Sneidel’

Public redacted version of ‘Warrant of arrest for Mr Sneidel’ 

Background: The situation in Libya was referred to the ICC Prosecutor by the United Nations Security Council in its resolution 1970 dated 26 February 2011. On 3 March 2011, the Prosecutor announced the decision to open an investigation in the situation in Libya. Eight other public ICC arrest warrants are still pending in the context of this situation against Mr Osama Elmasry Njeem, Mr Abdurahem Khalefa Abdurahem Elshgagi, Mr Makhlouf Makhlouf Arhoumah Doumah, Mr Nasser Muhammad Muftah Daou, Mr Mohamed Mohamed Al Salheen Salmi, Mr Abdelbari Ayyad Ramadan Al Shaqaqi, Mr Fathi Faraj Mohamed Salim Al Zinkal and Mr Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi. In addition, Mr Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, a national of Libya, was arrested on 16 July 2025 by the authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany pursuant to a warrant of arrest issued under seal by the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I and is currently in the custody of the German authorities pending the completion of the national proceedings as foreseen in article 59 of the Rome Statute.

Further information on this situation is available here.

For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: [email protected]

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