Where will captive Saif al- Islam Gaddafi face trial?

SAIF AL ISLAM GADDAFI, son of late Libyan dictator Muammar, was last night taken prisoner by the rebels his father vowed to destroy. Saif was captured in the Libyan desert as he tried to flee the country for Niger, accompanied by just four lightly-armed bodyguards.

The 39-year-old feared he would experience the instant 'justice' meted out to his father last month when he was stopped, at first giving a false name and then begging for his life when he was recognised. Rejoicing Libyans danced in the streets as the man once expected to become their leader was taken prisoner and flown to Zintan, a town two hours' drive south of Tripoli.

Saif was barely recognisable, reports the Sunday Telegraph. The highly-westernised, "well-groomed man, fond of expensive designer clothes" had become a "defeated figure … hunched down and with a scarf pulled across his face", sporting a full black beard and wrapped in traditional robes.

The big question now, writes Abdel Bari Atwan in the Mail on Sunday, is: "Will Saif be tried at the International Criminal Court [ICC] or will he face rough justice in Libya?" Saif had already opened communication with the ICC regarding a negotiated surrender, says Atwan, so "there is still a chance".

But it is far more likely that Saif will be tried at home, writes Dr Omar Ashour in The Independent on Sunday. "Any Libyan politician who dares to hand him over will probably face popular outrage, political outbidding and, possibly, an armed response," he observes. "Unless the NTC receives major incentives, the chances of it handing Saif to the ICC are slim."

So why is he still alive? "What makes Saif worthy of capture, not killing, is the information he has," says Ashour. This includes knowledge of who made which decisions during the days of the Gaddafi regime – but also "his international links".

Saif has secrets, and "the most damaging, in all likelihood, concern Tony Blair", writes Atwan, who says he heard from "very good sources" that the former PM became an advisor to the Libyan Investment Authority last year.

Atwan concludes: "The nature of the relationship between Mr Blair and the
Gaddafi family and what personal advantages he may have accrued as a result are a matter for speculation. Saif, of course, knows the facts." ·