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India national detained in Libya for Daesh links

February 1, 2018 at 11:57 am

Tabrez Tambe, an Indian national who was arrested by Libyan forces for joining Daesh [mid_day/Twitter]

Libyan authorities have detained an Indian national as a “prisoner of war” for joining Daesh, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced this week, the Libya Observer reported.

Tabrez Tambe allegedly fled the country in January 2016 to join Daesh in Libya and was later arrested after Libyan authorities were informed of his disappearance in the country.

According to the Indian Express, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) sent a letter to Libyan authorities asking of Tambe’s incarceration.

“The state counter terrorism agency followed up with the Libyan authorities by sending a letter that has still remained unanswered,” a senior official from the Indian state home department explained.

“This could be the first case in the country and definitely in the state where an official request has been sent to the court of a foreign country to bring a [Daesh] operative to trial.”

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According to the official, Tambe’s younger brother Saud wrote to the Indian ambassador in Libya last year asking for information and help in locating and repatriating his brother to India.

Tambe allegedly fled to Libya to join Daesh in January 2016 after claiming to have gotten a job in Egypt.

Tambe became known to authorities after an Indian doctor held captive by the group was able to positively identify him.

“The first lead came when Tambe was identified by Dr Ramamurthy Kosanam, a doctor from Andhra Pradesh, who was rescued and brought back to India in February 2017. Dr Kosanam had been held captive by [Daesh] militants for around two years. He identified Tambe as a medical attendant in the hospital where the doctor was forced to work by the militant group,” the Indian Express reported.

Following positive identification, Indian security agencies tried to track him down in the country and were informed by Libyan authorities that he was in custody. It is unclear which authority in Libya is holding Tambe.

Daesh has lost its ground in Libya since the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) conducted operations against the group’s strongholds in Sirte, Darna and Benghazi since 2014.