Freezing of funds and properties of a person who terrorized an Egyptian worker with a lion

SadaNews - Ibrahim Al-Saadati, the cousin of the Libyan youth Abdo Al-Saadati, revealed new details regarding the incident that caused wide controversy, as Al-Saadati appeared in a video using a lion to attack an Egyptian worker inside his private farm in Tripoli.

Al-Saadati stated that the investigation authorities decided to seize the predatory animals that his cousin raised, in addition to his funds, until the investigations are completed.

He clarified that the investigation authorities intend to summon the Egyptian worker, Alaa Shaaban, who appeared in the video, to listen to his statements. He pointed out that Shaaban has a close relationship with the Al-Saadati family and has been working with them for many years.

Al-Saadati added that his cousin was known for his hobby of raising wild animals, as he owns a lion named "Moukly," along with a tiger and several dogs, inside his farm in the Souq al-Joumhour area of Tripoli. He noted that Al-Saadati takes the lion with him to various places within Libya, confirming that the lion is trained not to attack people, and that it is declawed and trained.

Al-Saadati mentioned that the farm where the incident occurred employs Egyptians and foreigners of different nationalities. Al-Saadati is accustomed to filming videos with his wild animals as a joke and sharing them on social media, affirming that the latest video was not meant to insult the Egyptian worker but was just for fun.

Al-Saadati concluded that the family of the Libyan youth is in a state of deep sorrow after his arrest, especially since the video showed – according to his statement – that the lion is trained and knows all the workers on the farm.

On the other hand, the Office of the Attorney General in Libya announced that the prosecution reviewed video recordings that included behavior contrary to Sharia, law, and humanity, which represented a joke indicating the foolishness and offensiveness of its perpetrator, showing disrespect to his fellow human beings.

The Attorney General's Office indicated that the Libyan defendant encouraged a ferocious animal to attack the victim in the clips, instilling fear in their hearts and intending to mock and ridicule them. The office added that the perpetrator was arrested and held in custody pending investigation.

According to a statement from the Libyan Attorney General, it was found that the defendant is already sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison.

It is worth noting that the video caused widespread outrage and anger in Libya and Egypt.