Gaddafi's 'war crimes' son is held

Rebels have captured the son of Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who faced charges along with his father of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.

Saif was indicted with his father and Libya’s intelligence chief earlier this year for allegedly ordering, planning and participating in illegal attacks on civilians in the early days of the violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters.

The court’s chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he had been detained by “rebel special forces.” He declined to give more details of the arrest or the source of the information.

“Tomorrow morning we will talk to them,” Moreno-Ocampo said of the rebels. “It is time for justice, not revenge.”

Mr Moreno-Ocampo said he did not know where Muammar Gaddafi was.

“We hope that Muammar Gaddafi is also arrested and also faces justice,” he said. “There is no more impunity for these crimes.”

Mr Moreno-Ocampo charged Gaddafi, his son and his intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi in May with involvement in a campaign to attack civilians in their homes, shoot at demonstrators with live ammunition, shell funeral processions and deploy snipers to kill people leaving mosques.

Judges at the court issued international arrest warrants for all three men in June, but the court has no police force and was reliant on rebels to detain them.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo said he had evidence of Gaddafi issuing orders and his son organising the recruitment of mercenaries to fight for the regime.

The United Nations Security Council called in February for a probe into atrocities against opponents of Gaddafi’s regime.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo could not have opened an investigation without the UN approval because Libya does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction and has not ratified its founding treaty.

After arrest warrants were issued, Libyan Justice Minister Mohammed al-Qamudi dismissed the court as a front for Nato.

“It’s merely a political tool for exerting pressure and political blackmail against sovereign countries,” he said.