Libyan authorities on Monday ordered the arrest of an airline official on charges of facilitating the illegal transportation of migrants to the United States via Nicaragua.
The commercial director of Ghadames Air is under investigation for “committing an activity harmful to the interests of the country,” according to a statement from the Tripoli-based Attorney General’s office. The statement did not disclose the suspect’s name.
Ghadames Air, a private airline founded in 2021 and headquartered in Tripoli, is accused of transporting hundreds of people to Nicaragua, who intended to then illegally enter the United States.
“The company had engaged in an activity …operating flights carrying hundreds of people from East Asian countries without taking into account the obligations of the air carrier and national legislation related to immigration,” the Attorney General’s office statement said.
Libya, an oil-rich nation, has been in turmoil since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The country has since become a primary gateway for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. The statement from the Attorney General’s office did not specify the origin countries of the migrants involved in this case.
Melissa Enoch
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