Mahdi al-Arabi

Mahdi al-Arabi (Arabic: مهدي العربي) is a Libyan brigadier-general who served under the Libyan Armed Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.^[1] He was the deputy chief of staff of the Libyan Army.^[2] During the 2011 Libyan civil war, he was put in charge of helping to suppress protests,^[3] most notably in the Libyan city of Zawiya.^[4][5]

Mahdi al-Arabi
Allegiance	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Branch	Libyan Army
Years of service	? –2011
Rank	Brigadier-General
Commands	Deputy Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army
Battles / wars	2011 Libyan civil war 2011 Libyan rebel coastal offensive First Battle of Zawiya Second Battle of Zawiya

On 21 August 2011, anti-Gaddafi forces reportedly arrested Arabi in Zawiya.^[6] A video purportedly of Arabi in detention was posted to YouTube on 11 September.^[7]