Former spy chief’s arrest could delay Gaddafi trial

Published on 07/09/2012 00:52

The trial of Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam may be delayed to include any testimony obtained via interrogation from his former spy chief who was arrested on Wednesday, a government official has said. Officials said in August that Saif al-Islam’s trial on war crimes charges was due to begin in September.

But the arrest on Wednesday of Abdullah Senussi, the former spy chief known as “Gaddafi’s black box”, appears to have pushed that date back.

“We expect the trial of Saif al-Islam to be delayed a little because Senussi will be able to provide new information,” Taha Ba’ara, for the prosecutor general’s office, said yesterday.