Two toddler brothers died when the smugglers' boat sank, while survivors reported that a third child had drowned earlier in their journey from Libya aboard an unseaworthy fiberglass-bottom boat, said Stephen Schrenzenmeier, head of operations aboard the Sea Punk 1.

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.

The UN Support Mission in Libya called on the Tripoli authorities Saturday to detain a war crimes suspect who was sent home by Italy despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.

A senior member of Libya's judicial police has been given a hero's welcome back home after Italy unexpectedly released him from jail just two days after arresting him on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Italy's government said Thursday a Libyan police chief arrested on a war crimes warrant was flown home after a court found no basis to detain him -- and he was too dangerous to remain.

Responding to reports of the arrest in Italy of Osama Njeem, long-term member of the Tripoli-based militia Deterrence Apparatus for Combatting Terrorism

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.

The reaction came after the Italian government on Tuesday released and sent back home Ossama Anjiem, also known as Ossama al-Masri.

With the surge in landings recorded over the weekend (about 1,500), migrant arrivals in Italy so far in 2025 reached 3,074, with an increase of 136% compared to the same period of the previous year, the interior ministry said Monday.

As the ICC prosecutor files applications for warrants against the Taliban, the Senate is set to vote on sanctions in bill that would trigger action among other things if US citizens, allies are prosecuted.

Magistrates' union ANM hit back on Sunday at Premier Giorgia Meloni over the case of Najeem Osema Almasri Habish after she stressed on Saturday that the Libyan police chief wanted by International Criminal Court (ICC) was released from detention in Italy by the courts,