Captured ... 'first picture' of Saif al-Islam after his arrest |
MAD Dog Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam relaxes in custody following his capture in Libya's southern desert.
It is thought he was held alongside four armed male aides on Friday night as they attempted to smuggle the dead tyrant's heir-apparent across the border into Niger after nearly three months on the run.
The image appears to show bandages around at least three of his fingers as he reclines on a bed. He later explained that he had been injured in a NATO air strike a month ago.
His convoy was hit as he fled the pro-Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid on October 19 - the day before his father was apparently executed in Sirte.
Pictures later emerged of him wearing a thick beard and shrouded in traditional clothing on the plane believed to have transported him to Zintan where a Libyan militia commander confirmed he had been taken.
Asked if he was alright, Saif said simply: "Yes."
Thunderous celebratory gunfire rang out in the capital Tripoli as the 39-year-old - educated in Britain - was held facing charges of crimes against humanity, issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In custody ... Saif Gaddafi on plane |
ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said: "Saif must face justice. Whether it's in Libya or in The Hague, he should face justice. We have to coordinate together with the Libyan authorities."
Ocampo has announced he will travel to Libya for talks on where Saif will be tried but a spokesman for Libya's outgoing interim government has already declared he will be tried on home soil.
The court has also charged Libya's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi over the campaign of murder and torture used to suppress the uprising and only he now remains at large.
Victory ... a revolutionary fighter flashes the victory sign in celebration after Saif Gaddafi's arrest |
Saif was detained without a fight near the oil town of Obari having been tracked for days.
A fighter from the anti-Gaddafi Khaled bin al-Waleed Brigade said: "We got a tip he had been staying there for the last month.
Wisam Dughaly said "they couldn't get away because we had a good plan" adding that Saif had been using 4x4 vehicle.
"He was not hurt and will be taken safely for trial so Libyans will be able to prosecute him and get back their money.
It's over ... women show their excitement in Tripoli |
"We will take him to Zintan for safekeeping to keep him alive until a government is formed and then we will hand him over as soon as possible."
Prime minister-designate Abdurrahim El-Keib is expected to form a government by Tuesday.
Bashir Thaelba, a Zintan field commander, said: "We hope at this historical moment that the future of Libya will be bright."
As the Arab Spring uprising spread to the country in February, Saif told Libyans on state-run television that "rivers of blood" would flow with "thousands" of deaths if the protests did not stop.
The same oppressed people were today celebrating his capture in Tripoli's Martyrs' Square.
Engineer Mohammed Ali said: "This is the day of victory, this is the day of liberation. Finally the son of the tyrant has been captured. Now we are free."
Ruthless Colonel Gaddafi was killed by rebels the same day he was captured on October 20, having taken the country into civil war.
Prime Minister David Cameron said of Saif's capture: "It is a great achievement for the Libyan people and must now become a victory for international justice too.
"He could have contributed to a more open and decent future for his country, but instead chose to lead a bloody and barbaric campaign against his own people."