Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan called for calm following his abduction for several hours Thursday by former rebel militiamen who dramatically underscored the weakness of the post-Gaddhafi government.
"I hope this problem will be resolved with reason and wisdom" and without any "escalation," Zeidan said in comments broadcast by state television as he left a cabinet meeting convened shortly after he was freed.
The prime minister also sought to "reassure foreigners" living in Libya who do not enjoy his level of personal security.
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Armed men seized Zeidan before dawn from the Corinthia Hotel, where he resides, just five days after a US raid in Tripoli captured senior Al-Qaeda operative Abu Anas al-Libi.
The Operations Cell of Libyan Revolutionaries, former rebels who had roundly denounced Libi's abduction and blamed Zeidan's government for it, said it had "arrested" Zeidan under orders from the public prosecutor.
But the cabinet said on its Facebook page that ministers were "unaware of immunity being lifted or of any arrest warrant" for the premier.
Later, another group of ex-rebels, the Brigade for the Fight against Crime, said it was holding Zeidan, according to the official LANA news agency.
Moments before news broke of Zeidan's release, Deputy Prime Minister Al-Seddik Abdelkarim had vowed that the government would not give into the demands of the perpetrators of a "criminal act."
"The government will not give in to blackmail by anyone," he said.
The abduction of the prime minister highlighted the challenges the government faces in asserting control over armed groups that emerged during the 2011 revolt that toppled veteran strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
Several former rebel brigades have refused to disarm or join national security forces, and the militias, including some hardline Islamist groups, effectively control much of the vast desert country.
