The Jordanian ambassador recently kidnapped in Libya has been freed, Reuters reports.
Jordanian state television and the Libyan Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Fawaz al Itan was safely on his way back to Jordan after being kidnapped last month by gunmen. According to Reuters, the captors demanded an Islamist militant be freed from Jordanian prison in exchange for the ambassador.
Libya’s state news agency reported that Jordan had agreed to release a Libyan Islamist to Tripoli to ensure Itan’s release. The man allegedly freed, Mohamed Dersi, was jailed for plotting to bomb Jordan’s airport in 2007, Reuters reports.
Foreign diplomats are often the target of kidnappings in Libya. The North African country descended into chaos after Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011.
