The government attributed the release to procedural reasons. But critics say it is because Italy depends on Libya to stem the flow of migrants from Africa.

Human rights groups voiced outrage Wednesday after Italy released a Libyan warlord on a technicality, after he was arrested on a warrant from the International Criminal Court accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Italy's interior minister said on Thursday a Libyan man detained under an international war crimes arrest warrant and then unexpectedly released had been swiftly repatriated because of his "social dangerousness".

Italian media reports and a Libyan official say police in Turin have arrested a Libyan warlord wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes.

Italian authorities released the director of a notorious detention camp who had been arrested in Turin on an ICC war crimes warrant.

Ossama Anjiem, who runs a major Libyan prison, was in Italy to watch a soccer match. He returned home after an Italian court found issues with the warrant for his arrest.

A Libyan warlord was arrested in Italy on an ICC warrant but was expelled back to Libya after a tribunal's refusal to approve the arrest.

The head of Libya's judicial police has been arrested after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant over war crimes allegations, media reports say. Osama Najim, who directs Tripoli's Mitiga detention centre, was reportedly arrested on Sunday in the Italian city of Turin.

Al-Masri had been arrested Sunday in Turin, where he reportedly had attended the Juventus-Milan soccer match the night before. The ICC warrant, dated the day before, accused al-Masri of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Mitiga prison in Libya starting in 2015 that are punishable with life in prison.