Ismail Zetouni / Reuters Libya's Prime Minister Ali Zeidan speaks during a news conference in Tripoli on Jan. 3, 2013

Libya’s Interim Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was released late on Thursday after being kidnapped by former rebel fighters hours earlier in Tripoli.

The armed militants responsible for kidnapping the leader of the transitional government were reportedly hired by officials to provide security in the Libyan capital. However, the group allegedly turned on the leadership after Zeidan admitted to having knowledge of a U.S. plot to arrest a suspected high-ranking al-Qaeda operative in Tripoli last weekend.

According to Al Jazeera, the former rebel group, the Libyan Revolutionary Operations Chamber, claimed to have “arrested” the prime minister “on the prosecutor’s orders” — a claim several officials in the government have denied.

[Reuters]