Ex-Libyan oil minister released from captivity

Former Libyan oil minister Abdulbari al-Arusi was released on Tuesday after two weeks in captivity, according to local media.

Al-Arusi was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen outside his home in the capital Tripoli last month. 

The private Al-Ahrar TV channel said al-Arusi was freed on Tuesday, without giving any further details. 

No group has claimed responsibility for the former minister's abduction. 

Al-Arusi, 58, is a member of the Islamist Justice and Construction Party (JCP). 

He was a political prisoner and sentenced to death under the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. After ousting Libya's long-time leader, he served as minister of oil and gas from 2012 to 2014. 

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a bloody NATO-backed uprising after four decades in power. 

The oil-rich country has since seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, which enjoys UN recognition.