- Title: NIGER: Country faces pressure to arrest and extradite Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi
- Date: 30th September 2011
- Summary: NIAMEY, NIGER (SEPTEMBER 29, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIOR OF PALACE OF JUSTICE / NIGERIEN FLAG ON MAIN BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (French) MOUSSA ZABEIROU, JOURNALIST, SAYING: "I don't think that Niger should hand over people close to Gaddafi, particularly Saadi, who in my opinion is not a dangerous man, is not a criminal, he doesn't have any blood on his hands, and we should remember he's one of the few Gaddafi sons who was flexible with the Libyan insurgents who are now in power." MORE OF EXTERIORS OF PALACE OF JUSTICE WITH PEOPLE GOING IN AND OUT / BALANCE OF JUSTICE SYMBOL SEEN (SOUNDBITE) (French) IBRAHIM ADAMOU, JOURNALIST, SAYING "It's a problem because of the border we share with Libya, with the new Libyan authorities I think that the presence of Saadi Gaddafi threatens to complicate our relations. If the arrest warrant was submitted by the new Libyan authorities, I think we should implement it, we should implement it." VARIOUS OF STREET SCENE, PEOPLE WALKING AND CAR PASSING (SOUNDBITE) (French) MOUSSA ZABEIROU, JOURNALIST, SAYING: "I think that Niger should not give in to this sort of pressure. Truly, it's the sort of pressure that doesn't make any sense." MORE OF STREET SCENE
- Embargoed: 15th October 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Niger, Niger
- Country: Niger
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA94YRF16OIQCS48FSFLIDKBSB8
- Story Text: Interpol issued an alert on Thursday (September 29) calling for the arrest of a second son of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, putting pressure on Niger to detain Saadi Gaddafi who fled there three weeks ago.
The international police agency has already issued "red notices" seeking the arrest of Muammar Gaddafi and one of his sons, the politically prominent Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, as well as Gaddafi's intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi.
The whereabouts of those three remain a mystery more than a month since Muammar Gaddafi's rule was toppled.
Lyon-based Interpol said it issued an alert for Saadi Gaddafi at the request of Libya's new authorities, who accuse him of leading military units responsible for crackdowns on protests and of misappropriating property.
Moussa Zabeirou, a journalist, said Saadi was not politically prominent and Gaddafi's opponents didn't accuse him of widespread crimes.
"I don't think that Niger should hand over people close to Gaddafi, particularly Saadi, who in my opinion is not a dangerous man, is not a criminal, he doesn't have any blood on his hands, and we should remember he's one of the few Gaddafi sons who was flexible with the Libyan insurgents who are now in power," he said.
Another journalist, Ibrahim Adamou, said Niger should not jeopordise their relations with a new Libya on its northern border.
"It's a problem because of the border we share with Libya, with the new Libyan authorities I think that the presence of Saadi Gaddafi threatens to complicate our relations. If the arrest warrant was submitted by the new Libyan authorities, I think we should implement it, we should implement it," he said.
Niger has said it placed Saadi Gaddafi under surveillance after he was intercepted crossing its desert frontier.
Niger officials were not immediately available to comment on the Interpol arrest notice.
Of Gaddafi's six other sons, two fled to Algeria, one was reported killed in the conflict and three, including Saif al-Islam, are at large - although some officials from Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) say they believe another son, Khamis, was killed in the latter stages of the conflict. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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