Libya Congress Demands U.S. Return Seized Qaida Operative

Libya's top political authority, the General National Congress, demanded on Tuesday that the United States hand back an alleged al-Qaida operative its forces seized from Tripoli in a weekend raid.

A GNC statement read out by spokesman Omar Hmidan stressed "the need for the immediate surrender" of Abu Anas al-Libi and described the U.S. operation as a "flagrant violation of (Libya's) national sovereignty."

The text, which was passed by the GNC, also calls 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 is the first official statement from Libya that clearly condemns the operation in which Libi was snatched from his car by U.S. forces in broad daylight in a Tripoli street on Saturday.

Prime Minister Ali Zeidan insisted earlier on Tuesday that all Libyans should be tried on home soil.

The GNC declaration comes after Libya's justice minister summoned U.S. Ambassador Deborah Jones to answer questions about the surprise raid.

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 U.S. embassies in East Africa.

He is reportedly being held aboard a U.S. naval ship in the Mediterranean.