Terrorism suspect’s arrest upsets Libyans

The suspected Libyan Al Qaeda figure nabbed by U.S. special forces in a dramatic operation in Tripoli had been living freely in his homeland for the past two years, after a trajectory that took him to Sudan, Afghanistan and Iran, where he had been detained for years, his family said.

In a statement Sunday, the Libyan government said it asked the U.S. for “clarifications” about what it called the “kidnapping” of the militant known as Abu Anas al-Libi, underlining that its citizens should be tried in Libyan courts if accused of a crime.

It said it hoped its “strategic partnership” with Washington would not be damaged by the incident.

Still, the relatively soft-toned statement underlined the predicament of the Libyan government. It is criticized by opponents at home over its ties with Washington, but it is also reliant on security co-operation with the Americans.

The swift Delta Force operation in the streets of the Libyan capital that seized Abu Anas was one of two assaults Saturday that showed a U.S. determination to move directly against terror suspects.

Hours before the Libya raid, a Navy SEAL team swam ashore in the East African nation of Somalia and engaged in a fierce firefight, though it did not capture its target: a Kenyan of Somali origin known by the name Ikrima, described as a foreign fighter commander for Al Shabab, the Al Qaeda-linked group that carried out the recent Kenyan mall siege.

Abu Anas has been accused by the U.S. of involvement in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, which killed more than 220 people.

The 49-year-old Anas has been on the FBI’s most wanted terrorists list and had a $5-million bounty on his head.