Eric J (Viking)
19th November 2011, 14:51
It'll be interesting to see how this pans out...
Saif Gaddafi arrested in desert after month-long hunt by Libya's new government
Saif al-Islam, the son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been arrested, according to Libyan justice minister Mohammed al-Alagi.
Saif, 39, once heir apparent to succeed his father, vanished into the desert on Oct 19 as forces loyal to him crumbled.
Bashir al-Tlayeb, a commander of one of the Zintan brigades from the mountain town, said his fighters had captured Saif with two aides as he tried to escape to Niger. They had been caught near the town of Obari in the south of the country, in the Sahara.
The captured man, who refused to confirm his identity, was flown by Libyan militiamen to the town of Zintan, where hundreds thronged the runway to get a look at him. A Reuters correspondent who also travelled on the plane said the prisoner wore traditional robes with a scarf pulled over his face.
But despite a heavy black beard, his visible features as well as his rimless spectacles conformed to pictures of the late Libyan dictator's most favoured son.
A photograph was released of a man who appeared to be Saif, lying on a sofa with his legs covered by a blanket and his thumb, index finger and another finger heavily bandaged
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/11/19/1321702997829/Saif-al-Islam-Gaddafi-has-007.jpg
Reports a few weeks ago had speculated that he had been injured in a Nato airstrike, possibly losing his hands.
Following the killing of his father and his brother Mutassim Gaddafi by rebels soon after their capture, the International Criminal Court said it had been in communication with him and had discussed his surrender through intermediaries.
For weeks there had been speculation that Saif had been hiding in the vast south of the country, where his family had loyal supporters among desert tribes. There were also suspicions that he could easily escape across the long, unguarded border with Niger, where the Gaddafi family has many supporters after spending Libya’s oil wealth lavishly there for years.
Libya’s former rebels were desperate to find him, considering him the last dangerous member of the former ruling family still at large.
There were fears that he could still manage to foment trouble or even start an insurgency.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8901065/Saif-Gaddafi-arrested-in-desert-after-month-long-hunt-by-Libyas-new-government.html
viking
Saif Gaddafi arrested in desert after month-long hunt by Libya's new government
Saif al-Islam, the son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been arrested, according to Libyan justice minister Mohammed al-Alagi.
Saif, 39, once heir apparent to succeed his father, vanished into the desert on Oct 19 as forces loyal to him crumbled.
Bashir al-Tlayeb, a commander of one of the Zintan brigades from the mountain town, said his fighters had captured Saif with two aides as he tried to escape to Niger. They had been caught near the town of Obari in the south of the country, in the Sahara.
The captured man, who refused to confirm his identity, was flown by Libyan militiamen to the town of Zintan, where hundreds thronged the runway to get a look at him. A Reuters correspondent who also travelled on the plane said the prisoner wore traditional robes with a scarf pulled over his face.
But despite a heavy black beard, his visible features as well as his rimless spectacles conformed to pictures of the late Libyan dictator's most favoured son.
A photograph was released of a man who appeared to be Saif, lying on a sofa with his legs covered by a blanket and his thumb, index finger and another finger heavily bandaged
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/11/19/1321702997829/Saif-al-Islam-Gaddafi-has-007.jpg
Reports a few weeks ago had speculated that he had been injured in a Nato airstrike, possibly losing his hands.
Following the killing of his father and his brother Mutassim Gaddafi by rebels soon after their capture, the International Criminal Court said it had been in communication with him and had discussed his surrender through intermediaries.
For weeks there had been speculation that Saif had been hiding in the vast south of the country, where his family had loyal supporters among desert tribes. There were also suspicions that he could easily escape across the long, unguarded border with Niger, where the Gaddafi family has many supporters after spending Libya’s oil wealth lavishly there for years.
Libya’s former rebels were desperate to find him, considering him the last dangerous member of the former ruling family still at large.
There were fears that he could still manage to foment trouble or even start an insurgency.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8901065/Saif-Gaddafi-arrested-in-desert-after-month-long-hunt-by-Libyas-new-government.html
viking