ICC warns Saif al-Islam not to flee
Saif al-Islam, former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has warned Saif al-Islam, former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son, against trying to flee from his hideout.
"We have some information that there is a mercenary group trying to help him to move to a different country, so we are trying to prevent this activity," ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told Reuters on Saturday.
"We are also working with some states to see if we can disrupt this attempt. Some of them are South Africans allegedly," he added.
He made the remarks after a South African newspaper reported South African mercenaries were working to fly him out.
Moreno-Ocampo said that the ICC could order a mid-air interception if Saif al-Islam tried to flee by plane from his Sahara desert hideout. He added that the ICC was not making any deals with Saif al-Islam but was explaining through the contacts that he had to face trial because he had been indicted for war crimes.
In June, the International Criminal Court charged Saif al-Islam Gaddafi with committing crimes against humanity against anti-regime protesters during the Libyan revolution.
Last week, a former rebel leader in Niger said that Saif al-Islam escaped to the country.
Three of Saif al-Islam's brothers were killed in the Libyan war. Another, Saadi, has found refuge in Niger.
On October 20, Gaddafi was killed in his hometown of Sirte, eight months into an uprising that put an end to his 42-year dictatorship.
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