Last Gaddafi Regime Member Caught In Libya

Libya's new rulers have arrested the last senior member of the Gaddafi regime at large - the former intelligence chief Abdullah al Senussi.

His capture comes a day after the arrest of Saif al Islam Gaddafi, who looks set to be tried in Libya for alleged crimes against humanity.

The country's National Transitional Council (NTC) said on Sunday they had voted against handing the former dictator's son over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Libyan information minister Mahmoud Shammam said the decision would be discussed with the ICC's chief prosecutor when he visits Libya on Monday.

Saif is also wanted by the ICC on charges of crimes against humanity.

Mr Shammam said it would only be fair for Libyans to try Saif at home where he "committed crimes against Libyan people".

Earlier, the Libyan fighters who captured the former heir apparent said they would not hand over their prisoner unless they were guaranteed the trial would take place in the country.

The group, known as the Zintan brigade, reiterated their intention to hold Saif until an elected government has been set up in the country.

Meanwhile, Libyan officials said Gaddafi's former intelligence chief would also be given a fair trial.

Senussi, who is Gaddafi's brother-in-law, was seized after he was surrounded at a house owned by his sister, an NTC military official said.

After the death of Gaddafi, Saif and Senussi had been the surviving Libyans on the ICC's wanted list.

Saif's detention and subsequent trial will be a stern test of the NTC's influence over its regional factions.

They have given assurances that the 39-year-old will be tried in accordance with international guidelines amid fears he would meet the same fate as his father.

"I reassure our people and the world that Saif, and those with him, will be given a fair trial in which international rights and norms will be guaranteed," interim prime minister Abdel Rahim al Kib told a news conference in Zintan.

Saif was captured in southern Libya along with two aides who were trying to smuggle him out to neighbouring Niger.

His arrest after months on the run sparked a wave of celebrations among jubilant citizens across newly-liberated Libya.

However, there is massive pressure on the NTC to ensure a civilized trial takes place.

A spokesman for the ICC on Saturday said the NTC has an obligation to surrender Saif to the court in accordance with the UN resolution.

"The Libyan authorities have an obligation to cooperate with the court, including with respect to the arrest and surrender of Saif al Islam to the court as indicated in the UN's resolution," Fadi el Abdallah said.

But he added: "If Libyan authorities believe that a trial at national level is a better solution, they can ask that the case not be admitted in The Hague, based on the court's complementary principle.

"If they want a trial in Libya, they must submit a request for dismissal and procedures in Libya must be conducted on the same charges as those contained in the warrant of the ICC."

Such a request will be discussed when ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo arrives in the country on Monday.

In the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron has offered support to the ICC and the NTC to ensure Saif al Islam faces justice for his role in the "barbaric" reign of terror.

Mr Cameron said: "The Libyan government's announcement of Saif al Islam's arrest shows we are near the end of the final chapter of the Gaddafi regime.

"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. The fate of the Gaddafis should act as a warning to brutal dictators everywhere.

"Britain will offer every assistance to the Libyan government and the International Criminal Court to bring him to face full accountability and justice for what he has done."

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt added that while it is important for the UK government to offer support to Libya, it must not interfere with the judicial process.

He told Dermot Murnaghan on Sky News: "It's very important that Saif al Islam does have a fair trial, that he answers the charges that have been levelled against him by the Libyan people and we will support that process.

"I think the new Libyan government does understand what is at stake here. They want to show that their government is different from the regime and this trial, this opportunity to demonstrate that, is very important for them.

"I honestly think at this stage that it is much too early and rather presumptuous for all of us to be telling them what to do."

Sky's political correspondent Peter Spencer says the trial could give many influential British figures, including Lord Mandelson, Tony Blair and Prince Andrew, reason to squirm as details of their links to the brutal former regime are revealed.

But shadow chancellor Ed Balls, who worked alongside former prime minister Mr Blair, told Sky's Dermot Murnaghan there is nothing to hide.

He said any agreements made between the Blair government and Col Gaddafi were made with the right motives and as "a very positive step forward for the world".

"I don't think a Labour government or any government should have anything to fear from open disclosure," he said.

Saif al Islam was a key member of his father's inner circle and proved to be following in his footsteps in February he told Libyans on state-run television that "rivers of blood" would flow with "thousands" of deaths if the uprising did not stop.

His PhD from the London School of Economics was shrouded in controversy, even prompting the British ambassador to the US to deny claims that he helped the dictator's son with his thesis.