Saif al-Islam, the second son of Moammar el-Gaddafi and once thought to be a liberal reformer, has been found and arrested in the southern Libyan desert, say Mohammed al-Alagy, Libya’s acting justice minister, and other officials. Fighters from the western mountain city of Zintan said they had captured Saif and three armed companions on Saturday. Crowds celebrated and celebratory gunfire rang out in the capital of Tripoli and in Zintan, where an angry mob reportedly tried to storm the plane that Saif was on.
Libyan TV has aired a photo posted on Facebook purportedly of Saif in custody. He was found wearing traditional robes and a thick beard; he has so far refused to identify himself. Asked about the bandages on his right thumb and two other fingers, he said it was from the “air force”; asked if he meant a NATO strike, he responded “yes.”
The fighters who detained Saif said they plan to keep him in Zintan until the Libyan interim government, the National Transition Council (NTC), has formed an administration, as interim prime minister Abdurrahim El-Keib has said they will on Tuesday. Libyans wish to try Saif at home to address killings, repression and the wholesale theft of public funds that occurred during his father Gaddafi’s 40 years of rule. But Saif is also wanted for crimes against humanity, for ordering that protesters be fired on in February, by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague. Acting justice minister Alagy said that the Libyan government would not oppose having international monitors present at any trial proceedings.... more on
thivest.com
No comments:
Post a Comment