TRIPOLI, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Libyan authorities on Thursday announced the rescue of 13 Bangladeshi migrants who had been held captive by a criminal group in the eastern part of Tripoli.
Authorities carried out the operation after receiving intelligence that a criminal network had abducted newly arrived migrants and extorted ransoms from their families, the Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency in east Tripoli said in a statement.
Security forces later raided the site, rescued the migrants and arrested a Syrian national accused of kidnapping and extortion.
The suspect confessed to the charges during preliminary investigations and was referred to the Public Prosecution, which ordered his pretrial detention pending further investigation.
Libyan authorities have announced several similar operations in recent months, rescuing dozens of migrants believed to have been held captive by human trafficking and migrant smuggling networks.
Libya remains a major transit point for irregular migrants seeking to reach Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, due to the country's long coastline and geographic proximity to Europe. ■