By Sami Zaptia.
London, 1 August 2016:
A kidnapped victim came home yesterday to find that his wife had given birth to their expected baby girl while he was in captivity. The father, Mustafa Sreti is from the east of Libya but resides in Tripoli.
The RADA (Special Deterrent Force), led by the controversial Salafi Abdelrauf Kara, announced today that it had successfully secured the release of the eleven-day kidnap victim. One person was arrested while other members of the gang were being pursued, RADA said. A video confession by the accused was posted on RADA’s Facebook page as well as of the release of the victim.
Meanwhile, another gang of three accused of armed robbery in the Khalat Furjan and Ain Zara areas were also arrested by RADA. Initial confessions by them revealed numerous acts of armed robberies on commercial locations, homes and against foreign workers.
On 24th July, a kidnap gang made up of more than four men were arrested for the captivity of five people.
Despite the questionable control and accountability of RADA by successive governments of Libya, it has been the most successful ‘‘militia’’ in fighting crime in the capital and Sabratha. With its base at Mitiga airport, it has taken a hard line against ‘’extremists’’ which has put it in direct confrontation with other militias. RADA has declared its full support for the Serraj-led PC/GNA.
RADA had been cited in a UN report for human rights violations in March.
However, it by no means enjoys control over the whole capital, having to share it with a number of other militias also nominally under government control.
Kidnappings have been on the rise in Libya after the revolution in the absence of a strong state and its security apparatus. The wide dispersion of weapons after the revolution has led to an increase in armed crime. Many of the crimes, including bank heists, are attributed to armed militias.
