A military source confirmed the release of Major General Pilot Amer Al-Jaqm, who has been detained for three years by the Zawiya militia, led by Mohamed Bahroun ‘Al-Far’ (The Mouse).
“The news of the release of Major General Pilot Al-Jaqm is true, and it is expected that he will arrive on Sunday evening in the city of Benghazi,” the source said.
Akhbar Libya 24 made a phone call to Ziyad Amer Al-Jaqm, the pilot’s son who said that “negotiations have been taking place regarding my father. So far we have not received any confirmed news and I cannot deny any news.”
Social media users had circulated conflicting news about his release. Al-Jaqm was detained by Zawiya militias after his MiG-23 warplane ran into technical trouble, during an operation south of Zawiya in December 2019.
Published photos at the time showed that Al-Jaqm was subjected to torture, abuse, and degrading treatment after his arrest. Such actions sparked reactions by human rights organisations against the previous Government of National Accord (GNA). Al-Far was seen in a video clip, next to the pilot after his arrest.
Bahroun was born on 21 August 1989, and is a resident of Khartoum Street in the city center of Zawiya. He was a civilian, who participated in the civil war of February 2011. Since 2012, Al-Far has had a track record of criminality and bullying in the city of Zawiya. Acts of reported kidnapping, murder, liquidation, looting of money and property, trade in weapons and ammunition, in addition to smuggling fuel and trafficking in illegal immigration.