KAILUA, Hawaii — Four U.S. military personnel were detained and then released by the Libyan government Friday. The circumstances of their detention were not immediately clear in a region that has gripped in violence.
Shortly after 6 p.m., as President Barack Obama was headed to dinner with his family, a U.S. official said that the service members were no longer in the custody of the Libyan government. A few hours earlier, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki had said U.S. officials had been in touch with Libyan government representatives to discuss the situation.
“We are still trying to ascertain the facts of the incident,” Psaki said in an evening statement. “These four military personnel were operating in an area near Sabratha as part of security preparedness efforts when they were taken into custody.”
Psaki added that the U.S. values its relationship “with the new Libya.”
“We have a strategic partnership based on shared interests and our strong support for Libya’s historic democratic transition,” she said.