TRIPOLI: Libya's top political authority demanded Tuesday the United States "immediately" hand back an alleged Al-Qaeda operative its forces captured in Tripoli, as activists urged that his rights be respected.
The country is bristling after the US operation to snatch Abu Anas al-Libi on Saturday, with the government summoning the US ambassador and Prime Minister Ali Zeidan insisting that all Libyans should be tried on home soil.
The case has embarrassed and put the Libyan government under pressure from its critics -- notably former rebel groups in the 2011 revolt that ousted and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
A General National Congress statement stressed "the need for the immediate surrender" of Libi, and described the US operation as a "flagrant violation" of Libya's sovereignty.
The text, which was passed by the GNC, also called for the "need to allow the Libyan authorities and their families to get in touch with him (Libi) and guarantee them access to a lawyer."
It was the first official statement from Libya that clearly condemns the operation, in which Libi was seized from his car by US forces in broad daylight in a Tripoli street on Saturday.
Libi -- whose real name is Nazih Abdul Hamed al-Raghie -- was on the FBI's most wanted list with a $5 million (3.7 million euro) bounty on his head for his alleged role in the 1998 twin bombings of two US embassies in East Africa.
He is reportedly being held aboard a US naval ship in the Mediterranean.
On Sunday, Tripoli said it had demanded an explanation from Washington for Libi's "kidnapping".
On Tuesday, the justice minister summoned US Ambassador Deborah Jones to answer questions about the operation.
"Salah al-Marghani summoned the ambassador of the United States on Monday morning to ask for answers to several questions relating to the case" of Libi's capture, his ministry said.
Marghani and officials from the foreign ministry met members of Libi's family, who were told of the meeting with Jones, the statement added.
Zeidan said that, while he valued Tripoli's "important" relationship with the United States, Libyans should not be tried abroad.
"We insist that Libyan citizens must be tried in Libya, and Libya will not deliver its citizens abroad for trial," Zeidan said in Morocco.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya backed Tripoli's calls for clarification.
"The government of Libya and the Libyan people have every right to know the circumstances of the abduction of the Libyan citizen... and to demand full respect of international and national laws," UNSMIL chief Tarek Mitri said.
'Hunt down and expel illegal foreigners'
Meanwhile, the Operations Room of Libya's Revolutionaries, a group of ex-rebels, said it was on high alert "in light of the deterioration in security and damage to the country's sovereignty by foreign intelligence bodies."
It ordered its fighters to be prepared for orders to "hunt down and expel foreigners who are illegally in the country."
US Secretary of State John Kerry has defended the operation to capture Libi, calling him a "legal and appropriate target".
Kerry said Libi had committed "acts of terror" and had been "appropriately indicted by courts of law," but refused to say whether Libya had been informed of the raid in advance.
Rights groups have criticised the operation, urging the United States to respect Libi's rights and to give him access to legal advice.
Human Rights Watch called on the United States to ensure Libi is charged quickly in a civilian court.
"The US needs to respect his rights so that he can be fairly tried in a civilian court," said HRW's Laura Pitter.
"That means ensuring he gets a lawyer during any questioning and that he is promptly brought before a judge and charged."
A day earlier, Amnesty International sharply criticised Libi's capture, saying it violated "fundamental human rights principles".
The operation in Tripoli was one of two US raids at the weekend.
Navy SEALs launched an attack on a stronghold in the southern Somali port of Barawe of the Al-Shebab, targeting an elusive Kenyan commander.
Their success was unclear, as they were forced to withdraw before they could confirm whether they had killed their target.
