BBC: 300 UK-Bound Migrants Kidnapped & Tortured in Libya

More than 300 migrants attempting to reach the United Kingdom were kidnapped in Libya, tortured and threatened with forced kidney removal, according to a BBC investigation.

The victims, all young men from Iraqi Kurdistan, had paid smuggling networks to arrange journeys through North Africa, across the Mediterranean and into Europe during the summer of 2025. After arriving in Libya, successive groups were taken to a guarded compound controlled by an armed group instead of being transported towards the coast.

The armed group reportedly demanded a ransom of $5,000, equivalent to about £3,700, for each captive. The kidnappers said an Iraqi Kurdish smuggler had failed to pay money owed from an earlier arrangement and warned families that delayed payments could be taken “with a kidney”.

At least one hostage is known to have died, while the number of migrants who may remain in captivity is unclear. Around 110 captives were returned to Iraqi Kurdistan on an Iraqi government-organised flight in January 2026 after being released.

Former hostages described severe overcrowding, food deprivation, beatings and months without sunlight. A 16-year-old survivor said 178 people were held in a single cell with one toilet and so little space that they were forced to sleep while sitting upright. He said captives could receive one piece of bread a day when their families paid additional money.

The kidnappers also sent violent photographs and videos to relatives during ransom negotiations. In one recording, a captive was told that he was being taken to a doctor to have his kidney removed.

Several families later presented photographs showing surgical scars on released captives. A British medical consultant reportedly found that some scars appeared consistent with incisions used in kidney surgery. However, the BBC said it could not independently confirm that forced organ removals had taken place.

The dispute was reportedly linked to Noah Aaron, an Iraqi Kurdish smuggler currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in France for separate money laundering and migrant-smuggling offences. Details of the hostage operation emerged during a BBC investigation into another suspected smuggler, Kardo Jaf, whose arrest was announced in May 2026.

Anthony Dunkerley, a United Nations adviser who has investigated human trafficking in Libya, said the presence of competing armed groups and limited state control made it difficult to investigate trafficking networks and prosecute those responsible.

The findings present further evidence of the dangers faced by migrants travelling through Libya, where trafficking groups exploit political division, weak border control and the absence of effective oversight across large areas of the country.