Sheikh Omar Mukhtar maintained a very high standard of moral integrity when his men seized prisoners from among the Italian troops. On one such occasion the lives of some soldiers were spared on the command of Omar Mukhtar however some of the Libyan fighters objected on the grounds that the Italians were not hesitant in killing Libyan prisoners of war, not satisfied with mere revenge and blind imitation of the enemy Sheikh Omar Mukhtar responded by saying that the Italians were not teachers whose example should be followed by true Muslims.
On September 11th 1931 the resistance was struck by a severe blow as Omar Mukhtar and a group of forty fighters were subject to an ambush during an expedition, the Italians were able to surprise Omar Mukhtar by intercepting some intelligence about his location with the help and complicity of local collaborators and informants. Sheikh Omar Mukhtar was finally in the custody of the Italians. General Rodolfo Graziani had his man right where he wanted him, a prized prisoner and substantial proof that the Italian forces had finally broken the resistance movement.