Libyans Celebrate Capture of Gadhafi's Son

(11/19/11)

Tripoli, Libya- Saif al-Islam, Moammar Gadhafi's son, was nabbed after an 18-day stakeout in a desert gunbattle Saturday. According to Senior Libyan military officials, al-Islam may have been the Gadhafi successor and was enroute to neighboring Niger, where a brother, Saadi, has been granted asylum. al-Islam is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and was caught by Revolutionary fighters after being on the run since the fall of Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in the capital in August.





Al-Islam, the last of the Gadhafi fugitives, is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, including murder. Officials in Libya would also like to put al-Islam on trial. Even though al-Islam didn't hold a high-level government office, the ICC believed al-Islam was the "unspoken successor and the most influential person with his inner circle...[Saif] exercised control over crucial parts of the state apparatus, including finances and logistics and had the powers of a de facto prime minister."



Libya has an obligation to surrender al-Islam to the ICC. In order to try al-Islam in Libya, Libyan officials must show it's legal system is capable of handling such a proceeding. Military commanders have requested the National Transitional Council to ensure al-Islam is tried in their country.


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