Zintan Holds Tight to 'Prize' Saif al-Islam
Fighters in the western mountain town of Zintan have refused to give up Saif al-Islam, the most prominent son of slain ruler Muammar Gaddafi, saying his secrets are too important to risk. On Sunday, Zintanis detained an International Criminal Court lawyer who was visiting Saif al-Islam for allegedly trying to deliver letters to him. They say the letters, which she hid in her clothing, posed a danger to Libya's national security. Zintan's leaders say their people sacrificed many lives for the revolution that ended Gaddafi's rule, and that Saif al-Islam has information that could implicate Libya's interim leaders and foreign countries in wrong doing. Al Jazeera's Omar al-Saleh reports from Zintan.

Saif Gaddafi's Fear of His Fate Exposed in Recording‎

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: In the final act of the Libyan drama, the country's former intelligence chief was arrested on Sunday, as a recording of Saif Gaddafi revealed the favoured son's fear of meeting the same end as his father.

Libya's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi was captured on Sunday in the same southern region as the slain Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's heir was found a day earlier, an official in the National Transitional Council confirmed.

Saif spent Sunday secreted in the militia stronghold of Zintan, as Libya's interim rulers ignored world pressure and insisted that he be tried inside the country rather than at the International Criminal Court.

Reports have surfaced that he was discovered in the deep south of the country heading to Niger, wearing Tuareg robes and turban and pretending to be a camel herder named "Abdul Salem".

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi flitted between fear of being lynched and bravado at the prospect of being executed like his father when his Libyan captors flew him to their mountain stronghold.

And as a mob outside bayed for his blood, he even found time to worry about the dangers of passive smoking. » | Sunday, November 20, 2011

Die Niederlande als Vorbild für Libyen: Ghadhafis Sohn Saif al-Islam distanziert sich rhetorisch von seinem Vater
NZZ ONLINE: Ghadhafis zweiter Sohn Saif al-Islam hat sich in einem Interview von den radikalen Elementen innerhalb des libyschen Regimes distanziert, ohne seinen Vater direkt zu kritisieren. Er behauptet, für Libyen politische Freiheiten «wie in den Niederlanden» anzustreben.

Die Libyen-Affäre schwelt weiter und Max Göldi sitzt noch immer in einem libyschen Gefängnis. Jetzt hat Saif al-Islam («Schwert des Islams»), Sohn von Revolutionsführer Ghadhafi, in einem Interview mit dem amerikanischen Nachrichtenmagazin «Time» aber erstaunliche Töne angeschlagen. In einer offenen Herausforderung der radikalen Elemente innerhalb des libyschen Regimes forderte er einen «demokratischen Wandel».

Der Streit mit der Schweiz sei nur der Beleg für umfassenderes Problem Libyens, sagte Saif. Es ginge darum, wie sein Land mit dem Westen nach Jahrzehnten der Isolation umgehen soll. «Wenn wir mit dem Westen tanzen wollen, dann müssen wir das zum gleichen Rhythmus und zur gleichen Musik tun».

Ohne seinen Vater direkt zu kritisieren, bezeichnete er die beharrenden Kräfte in Libyen rundweg als «Idioten». Auf die Frage, welche Freiheiten er gerne in Libyen etablieren möchte, antwortete er: «Alle - Ziel ist ein Mass an Freiheit wie etwa in Holland». Das wäre allerdings eine radikale Abkehr von der diktatorischen Herrschaft, wie sie sein Vater nun schon mehr als vierzig Jahre in Libyen ausübt. Bekannt für Offenheit >>> bbu. | Montag, 08. März 2010

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TIME: Gaddafi vs. Switzerland: The Leader's Son on What's Behind the Feud >>> Vivienne Walt, Tripoli | Saturday, February 27, 2010

Libya: Col Gaddafi Son Saif Opens ICC Talks on Surrender
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Muammar Gaddafi's fugitive son, who is wanted for crimes against humanity has established indirect contacts with the International Criminal Court on his surrender, the court's chief prosecutor said.

The prosecutor said that his office was in "informal contact" with Muammar Gaddafi's son through intermediaries regarding his surrender to the war crimes court.

"Through intermediaries, we have informal contact with Saif. The office of the prosecutor has made it clear that if he surrenders to the ICC, he has the right to be heard in court, he is innocent until proven guilty. The judges will decide," prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo would not say with whom the court is talking. He also said the court does not know al-Islam's whereabouts.

If Saif is brought before the court, Mr Moreno-Ocampo said, he will "have all the rights and be protected," and will be allowed to present his defence.

"We believe we have a strong case," the prosecutor told CNN. "We believe he should be convicted." » | Telegraph Foreign Staff | Friday, October 28, 2011

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Colonel Gaddafi’s Son Buys £10 million Hampstead Mansion
Luxury: The £10m home in Hampstead boasts a swimming pool and sauna. Photo: Mail On Sunday
MAIL ON SUNDAY: The favourite son of Colonel Gaddafi, who played a key role in Abdelbaset Al Megrahi’s release, has bought a £10million home in one of London’s wealthiest and most 
prestigious suburbs.

The neo-Georgian eight-bedroom property bought by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in a secluded road in Hampstead, North London, boasts a swimming pool, sauna room, Jacuzzi and suede-lined cinema room where he will be able to monitor world events.

The house even has an electrically operated rubbish store, which raises and lowers eight bins into the ground before a steel plate folds over to hide them discreetly.

Last Thursday, Saif stepped off one of his father’s private planes at a military base in the Libyan capital Tripoli alongside Al Megrahi, who was welcomed by cheering crowds.

Al Megrahi’s release from a Scottish jail came just a fortnight after Business Secretary Lord Mandelson discussed the case with Saif during a holiday at the home of the Rothschild banking family on the Greek island of Corfu.

Yesterday, Lord Mandelson admitted he held another meeting with Saif in May.

The official meeting for trade talks took place less than three weeks after an agreement was ratified between Libya and the UK allowing prison transfers. >>> Christopher Leake and Daniel Boffey | Sunday, August 23, 2009

Übergangsrat: Saif al-Islam befindet sich an der Grenze zu Niger und Algerien

TAGES ANZEIGER: Ghadhafis Sohn will Libyen mithilfe eines gefälschten Passes verlassen. Die Tuareg sollen dabei behilflich sein.

Der vom Internationalen Strafgerichtshof gesuchte Sohn des früheren libyschen Machthabers Muammar al-Ghadhafi, Saif al-Islam, will offenbar in Niger Zuflucht suchen. Ein ranghohes Mitglied der Tuareg sagte der Nachrichtenagentur AP, Saif al-Islam bewege sich auf die Grenze zu. Er werde von Tuareg geleitet, die zu den grössten Anhängern Ghadhafis zählten.

Er befinde sich an der Grenze zu Niger und Algerien und wolle mit Hilfe eines gefälschten Passes das Land verlassen, vermutete derweil ein Vertreter der libyschen Übergangsregierung am Montag. Ghadhafis früherer Geheimdienstchef Abdullah al-Senussi sei in die Pläne involviert. Die Region sei extrem schwierig zu überwachen und einzugrenzen. Deshalb sei es schwierig, die Flucht Saif al-Islams zu verhindern. » | kpn/sda | Dienstag 25. Oktober 2011

Gaddafi’s Son: We Will Deal with Terrorists First and Then Talk Reform
THE WASHINGTON POST: TRIPOLI, Libya — Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the influential second son of Moammar Gaddafi who was once seen as the great hope for reform in Libya, is clear on two points: He and his government have done nothing wrong, and they are not going to back down.

In an interview that reflected the defiance of the Gaddafi family more than two months into its efforts to put down a rebellion supported by the United States and its allies, the 38-year-old said the world had gone to war with Libya based on nothing more than rumor and propaganda.

In Saif Gaddafi’s telling, he has been betrayed by his “best friend,” who defected to join the rebels. His father’s government is besieged by al-Qaeda. And President Obama has proved no different from his predecessor, George W. Bush.

The comments underscore the uncompromising stance of the Libyan government at a time when the fighting has stale­mated and NATO faces internal squabbling. Although there had been indications this month that Saif Gaddafi was interested in a diplomatic solution to the crisis that has divided his nation, his tone during an hour-long interview suggested that the core decision-makers in Tripoli are in no hurry to find a political way out.

As if to bolster that point, forces loyal to the Gaddafi regime on Sunday heavily shelled the besieged city of Misurata, the only rebel outpost in western Libya. A city council spokesman said 17 people were killed and more than 100 were injured. Government troops also attacked rebel positions in the strategically critical eastern city of Ajdabiya, sending some opposition fighters fleeing back to their de facto capital, Benghazi.

One month after the uprising, the United Nations authorized a no-fly zone over Libya in March to counter the government’s attacks on civilians. Obama has said that international military action saved countless Libyan lives, by preventing Moammar Gaddafi’s men from carrying out a massacre in Benghazi.
But in Saif Gaddafi’s view, Obama has it all wrong.

“We want the Americans tomorrow to send a fact-finding mission to find out what happened in Libya. We want Human Rights Watch to come here and to find out exactly what happened,” he said. “We are not afraid of the International Criminal Court. We are confident and sure that we didn’t commit any crime against our people.” » | Simon Denyer | Sunday, April 17, 2011

Transcript of interview »

LE POINT: Seif el-Islam : "Nous n'avons commis aucun crime" : Pour le fils du colonel Kadhafi, les tirs de l'armée contre des opposants au régime ne sont que des allégations. » | Source AFP | Lundi 18 Avril 2011

Age of the Iron Fist Is Over, Says Gadaffi Jr
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Saif al-Islam, the son of Colonel Gadaffi, said the time for 'military regimes, kings, crown princes' had passed

The 38-year-old Saif is widely seen as a potential successor to his father. Photo: The Sunday Times
The son of Colonel Muammar Gadaffi, who has ruled Libya with an iron fist for more than 40 years, has declared that the country no longer needs a “great leader”.

In an interview last week, Saif al-Islam Gadaffi said the time for “military regimes, kings, crown princes” had passed.

“The future is for managers — people will elect managers and not have kings or great leaders,” he said. “People should be free to elect their own leaders. The future is for democracy. There is no other way for Libya.”

The 38-year-old champion of reform, who is widely seen as a potential successor to his father, warned that his country could face “very serious trouble” if it failed to adopt a more liberal approach to relations with the West.

Dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and trainers, he strolled into the flower garden of a friend’s villa on the outskirts of Rome and said: “Hi, I’m Saif.”

Sitting beneath a wooden gazebo near a pool surrounded by palm and cedar trees, he outlined his vision of Libya as a tolerant, 21st-century state enriched by tourism.

“I would like to make Libya the Vienna of north Africa,” he said passionately, referring to his favourite European city. Luxury hotels were already being built, he added.

Gadaffi, who studied for his PhD at the London School of Economics, smiled as he claimed that tough visa restrictions for westerners would be abolished soon, starting with the British.

Measures had also been discussed to permit the sale of alcoholic drinks to foreigners in hotels, he said. “It will happen,” he added. “We will create the right environment for tourism in Libya. If you have no drink, no visa, no hotels, nobody will come.” Continue reading and comment >>> Sara Hashash and Hala Jaber | Sunday, June 27, 2010

Darul Uloom Labels Saif, Kareena Marriage As Anti-Islam

THE TIMES OF INDIA: Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband termed as "anti-Islam" the wedlock between film actors Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, saying the bride did not convert to Islam before the marriage.

The Islamic institution located in Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, said,"Kareena did not convert to Islam before her marriage with Saif. Islam does not approve of such marriages."

"According to the Muslim laws, since Kapoor has not converted to Islam, this marriage is anti-Islam," said Habibur Rahman, a senior cleric of the seminary.

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor tied the knot on October 16. The couple got their marriage registered in Mumbai. » | PTI | Thursday, October 18, 2012

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi 'Pretended to Be a Camel Herder' When Captured

THE GUARDIAN: Captor says dictator's son, who was caught trying to flee to Niger, tried to disguise himself to evade arrest

The man who led the fighters that captured Saif al-Islam has said that the late dictator's son tried to escape arrest by pretending to be a camel herder.

"When we caught him, he said, 'My name is Abdul Salem, a camel keeper,'" said commander Ahmed Amur on Sunday. "It was crazy."

His unit, from Zintan's Abu Bakar al-Sadiq brigade, had been patrolling the vast southern desert of Libya for more than a month when it was given a tip-off late last week that Saif al-Islam was close to the town of Obari.

"We knew it was a VIP target, we did not know who," said Amur, who worked as a professor of marine biology in Tripoli before the war. » | Chris Stephen in Zintan | Sunday, November 20, 2011

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Gaddafi Trial -- Like Father, Like Son?

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya's deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi, is set to go on trial in Tripoli today. Libya's new authorities insist that it will be fair and not a 'Mickey Mouse' trial, all the while refusing to extradite Saif to face charges in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Can he really expect justice and a fate different from his father's in a country that is on the brink of anarchy? And does the international community have the political will to enforce justice in what is increasingly perceived to be its toothless paper tiger? John Jones, Saif al-Islam's lawyer in the ICC, joins Oksana to mull over these issues.

Libya Insists Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Should Be Tried at Home

THE GUARDIAN: NTC says that the International Criminal Court should not be allowed to try Saif Gaddafi for his role in Libya's civil war

Libyan officials are determined to resist attempts to bring Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, before the international criminal court [sic], claiming he should instead face justice at home.

Colonel Ahmed Bani, the military spokesman for Libya's interim rulers, said they were insistent that the international body should not win custody of its most wanted man. "We will not accept that our sovereignty be violated like that," he said. "We will put him on trial here. This is where he must face the consequences of what he has done. We will prove to the world that we are a civilised people with a fair justice system. Libya has its rights and its sovereignty and we will exercise them."

The gruesome scenes of his father's death give Gaddafi, 39, little incentive to surrender to the new rulers, or the rebel forces searching for him in the Sahara.

It is understood that Gaddafi has acknowledged to the ICC and the National Transitional Council that he is aware of his father's brutal demise in his hometown of Sirte. Officials in Tripoli fear that the former heir apparent does not intend to surrender to The Hague, and is playing for time in an attempt to escape into a nearby African state. » | Martin Chulov in Tripoli | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Saif Gaddafi 'Wants to Be Tried in Libya'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the imprisoned son of the former Libyan dictator, has aligned himself with the new government by declaring his opposition to extradition to face war crimes charges in The Hague.

International Criminal Court investigators who met with Saif Gaddafi at a mountaintop detention centre south of Tripoli earlier this month said that he had expressed a preference to be tried in his own country, even if he faced the death penalty.

The ICC also confirmed that Gaddafi had suffered torture and abuse after he was captured last November.

The comments appear to have been made under duress with a government official sitting in on the discussion. Even so, the stakes for Gaddafi could not be higher. Deportation for an ICC trial would remove threat of a death sentence even if he was convinced of all counts in the war crimes trials. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Vicenda Gheddafi, mea culpa svizzero, Saif al-Islam Gheddafi
TICINONEWS.CH: Il figlio del leader libico Saif al-Islam Gheddafi spera che una soluzione sia vicina per ristabilire relazioni amichevoli tra la Svizzera e il Paese nordafricano. Il figlio del colonnello Gheddafi sottolinea tuttavia che sarà suo padre a prendere la decisione di risolvere la vertenza che avvelena le relazioni diplomatiche tra i due Paesi da mesi.

"Mio padre e il suo governo" analizzeranno "le nuove proposte svizzere", dichiara Saif al-Islam Gheddafi in un'intervista pubblicata oggi dal quotidiano romando "Le Matin". Il figlio del colonnello precisa che le discussioni avute con la consigliera federale Micheline Calmy-Rey a margine del Forum economico mondiale (WEF) di Davos (GR) si sono svolte in un'atmosfera "molto buona". >>> ATS | Sabato 31 gennaio 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback e Hardcover) - Spedizione gratuita in Svizzera >>>

Libya: Protests Gather Pace as Gaddafi's Son Vows to Fight to the End
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Troops loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya will "fight until the last man standing" to defend his regime, his son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, said as forces battled protesters in the capital Tripoli.


Col Gaddafi's second son and heir apparent appeared on television late in the evening to say there would be "rivers of blood" and that Libya was on the brink of a civil war that would burn its oil wealth.

"Our spirits are high and the leader Muammar Gaddafi is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are behind him as is the Libyan army," he said. "We will keep fighting until the last man standing, even to the last woman standing...We will not leave Libya to the Italians or the Turks."

But he admitted that "civilians are driving tanks in Benghazi" and though he said only 84 people had died showed he was aware of the extent of the uprising.

"This is an opposition movement, a separatist movement which threatens the unity of Libya," he said. "We will take up arms, we will fight to the last bullet. We will destroy seditious elements. If everybody is armed, it is civil war, we will kill each other."

Opponents of the Gaddafi regime were in control of parts of Libya's second city Benghazi having driven back security forces who fired on them with high-velocity sniper rifles, machine guns and even anti-aircraft artillery.

There were less violent clashes in Tripoli, though there were also reports of gunfire and tear gas there as demonstrators gathered near Green Square and hurled stones at police. One protester told the al-Jazeera network they were chanting at the leader: "Where are you? Where are you? Come out if you're a man."

Human Rights Watch says that at least 233 people have died since last week in the unrest, which has spread from the eastern provinces. It said at least 60 people died in Benghazi yesterday, 50 deaths having been recorded at Al-Jalaa Hospital and ten more at 7 October Hospital.

The city was described to diplomats as a "war zone" by a senior regime official. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent Nabila Ramdani in Cairo | Monday, February 21, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi: a profile – Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, had long been seen as the successor to his father before the wave of protests that has shaken the north African country. >>> | Monday, February 21, 2011

ICC Warns Libya's Saif al-Islam Against Fleeing

REUTERS.COM: The International Criminal Court said on Saturday Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was in contact through intermediaries about surrendering for trial, but it also had information mercenaries were trying to spirit him to a friendly African nation.

The ICC has warned the 39-year-old, apparently anxious not to be captured by Libyan interim government forces in whose hands his father Muammar Gaddafi was killed last week, that it could order a mid-air interception if he tried to flee by plane from his Sahara desert hideout for a safe haven. » | Aaron Gray-Block | THE HAGUE | Saturday, October 29, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Gaddafi's son says he is innocent: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has told the International Criminal Court he is innocent of alleged crimes against humanity » | Reuters | Saturday, October 29, 2011

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Is No Longer Welcome Among London's bien pensants
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – CON COUGHLIN: Now that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator’s second son and heir apparent, has shown his true colours by declaring he will fight “until the last bullet” to defeat the pro-democracy protests sweeping his country, it is amusing to see how all his former friends are rushing to abandon him.

Saif’s overnight transformation from the cool Mediterranean dude who preached the virtues of democratic rule to the shambolic figure who appeared on Libyan television on Sunday night has caused particular consternation at the LSE, his alma mater and the recipient of a £1.5million gift from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation. Read on and comment >>> Con Coughlin | Tuesday, February 22, 2011

BBC: UK university reviews funding from Libya: The London School of Economics has said it is reconsidering its links with Libya "as a matter of urgency". >>> Katherine Sellgren, BBC News education reporter | Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Jordan: Royal Wedding: Crown Prince Hussein Marries Rajwa Al Saif

Jun 1, 2023

Royal fever sweeps Jordan ahead of crown prince's wedding: Photos of bridal party of Crown Prince Hussein’s fiancee, Rajwa Al Saif, go viral as celebrations break from modest traditions »

EN FRANÇAIS :

Au cœur du mariage du prince Hussein de Jordanie et Rajwa Al Saif : récit d’une journée historique »

Muammar Gaddafi Offers Rebels an Amnesty
THE GUARDIAN: Warning to world of 'another Vietnam' if Libya is invaded masks concessions to opponents shaped by son Saif al-Islam

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has offered an amnesty for rebels who hand back weapons, promising they would be "forgiven and not pursued" even as he warned that his country would be turned into "another Vietnam" if foreign countries intervened.

In a three-hour speech to supporters and international journalists in Tripoli, Gaddafi offered a handful of concessions aimed at those supporting the opposition forces who control more than half the country.

Faced with the threat of armed intervention by the west, he said: "We will enter a bloody war and thousands and thousands of Libyans will die if the United States enters or Nato enters."

Although the defiance had been anticipated, what was surprising was a series of concessions designed to divert support for the escalating uprising and head off the growing threat of military intervention.

Conceding his almost complete isolation, Gaddafi admitted that the world appeared to be against Libya, including India, China and parts of Latin America as well as the US and Europe.

The speech, delivered on Wednesdayas Libyan forces attacked opposition positions in the east of the country, bore all the hallmarks of being shaped by his son Saif al-Islam, who has argued in the past for some of the concessions on offer.

Despite his often fiery rhetoric, Gaddafi delivered the speech calmly, in contrast to fist-waving previous addresses in which he threatened to hunt down opponents like rats.

He promised he would not stand in the way of privately-owned media or a constitution for the country – long espoused by Saif – if that is what people wanted. He also offered an inquiry into violence on both sides. >>> Peter Beaumont in Tripoli | Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Libya: 2,000 Gaddafi Supporters Attend Funeral of Son
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Some 2,000 of Col Muammar Gaddafi's supporters turned out for the funeral of the Libyan leader's youngest son, as the regime intensified its attack on the besieged city of Misurata.

In the capital, Tripoli, a crowd of more than 1,000 people attended the funeral of Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, the leader's second youngest son, who was killed in an allied air strike on Saturday night.

Col Gaddafi himself did not attend, but two of his other sons, Saif al-Islam, who has the highest profile and was seen as his father's intended successor, and Hannibal were both seen in the crowd.

Some mourners fired weapons into the air. Others chanted "revenge for the martyrs" and carried placards reading "We are all with Gaddafi's Libya", according to news organisations.

The body, covered in a green cloth and with a wreath was delivered to the Al-Hani Cemetery in a black ambulance.

Three of Saif al-Arab's children, identified by the authorities as being a child each of Hannibal, their oldest brother, Mohammed, and their sister Aisha, were also buried. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Monday, May 02, 2011

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