Muammar Qaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam, wanted by the International Criminal Court for an alleged role in killing civilian protesters, has been captured near Ubari in southern Libya, according to a militia commander.
The 39-year-old, who had been on the run since the National Transitional Council forced his father from Tripoli as it took control of the capital in August, was detained with two aides trying to flee to Niger, Bashir al-Tayeleb said in a news conference broadcast from Benghazi on Al Jazeera today. He is being moved to Zintan in western Libya, and officials will know in a few hours who captured him, al-Tayeleb said.
Saif al-Islam, a presumed heir to power whose connections with the West helped end Libya’s pariah status, took a hard line against the uprising that began in mid-February and culminated in his father’s death on Oct. 20. The younger Qaddafi promised “rivers of blood” if Libyans didn’t refrain from demonstrating against the government. He had been leading loyalist forces in the enclave of Bani Walid.