Meloni said that Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and the cabinet undersecretary for intelligence matters, Alfredo Mantovano, had also been placed under investigation. Being placed under investigation in Italy does not mean that formal charges will necessarily follow.

In a defiant tone, the Italian PM appeared to hint at political motives for the investigation.

She pointed out the lawyer who filed the complaint, Luigi Li Gotti, was a former left-wing politician, while the prosecutor leading the case, Francesco Lo Voi, recently investigated Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on an unrelated matter.

Meloni ended the video saying that she could not be “blackmailed or intimidated”.

“This may be why I’m unpopular among those who don’t want Italy to change and improve,” she said. “But that’s precisely the reason I intend to continue on my way, protecting Italians, especially when the nation’s safety is at stake, head held high with no fear.”

Matteo Renzi of the opposition party Italy Alive (IV) – who was among the first to denounce Mr Najim’s release – said he felt Meloni was “exploiting” the investigation to “feed her usual victim complex”.

Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right, anti-migrant Brothers of Italy party, has headed Italy’s ruling right-wing coalition since 2022.

She has repeatedly vowed to crack down on immigration and has pledged to stop boats heading to Italy from North Africa, vowing to put an end to illegal departures and human trafficking.

Meloni, like other leaders before her, has worked with Libyan authorities and militias, providing them with financial and technical support under controversial agreements to tackle illegal immigration, including training and funding for the Libyan coast guard which intercepts migrant boats.