Friday, October 19, 2012

The Gaddafi clan: Where are they now?


Libya"s leader Muammar Gaddafi attends a celebration of the 40th anniversary of his coming to power at the Green Square in Tripoli in this September 1, 2009 file photo

Libya Crisis

A year after the capture and violent death of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on 20 October 2011, what has happened to his remaining family and members of his inner circle?
Three of Gaddafi's sons were killed in the uprising, including former National Security Adviser Mutassim Gaddafi, who died at the hands of the rebels on the same day as his father.
Surviving Gaddafi family members have experienced mixed fortunes since October 2011, with his widow finding refuge in Algeria, while his son and former heir-apparent Saif al-Islam is currently awaiting trial in a Libyan prison.

Safiya Gaddafi (wife)

Safiya Gaddafi
Safiya Farkas, the mother of seven of Gaddafi's eight biological children, has spent the last year in Algeria after being given refuge there for "humanitarian reasons".
Along with her daughter Ayesha and Gaddafi's son from his first wife Fathia, she entered Algeria on 29 August as rebels took control of Tripoli.
She is thought to be housed in a secure villa in the town of Staoueli near Algiers, under strict orders from the Algerian government not to make public political statements or interfere in Libyan affairs.

Muhammad Gaddafi (son)

Muhammad Gaddafi
If events had turned out differently, Muhammad may well have spent the summer in London at the 2012 Olympic Games, in his capacity as the head of the Libyan Olympic Committee.
Instead, Gaddafi's eldest son has spent more than a year in Algeria after fleeing when the rebels took control of Tripoli.
Born to Gaddafi's first wife Fathia, he was also the chairman of the company which controlled Libya's mobile phone and satellite communications networks.
He was not indicted by the ICC and is not thought to have played a large part in attempting to quell last year's uprising.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (son)

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
Former heir-apparent Saif al-Islam was captured a month after his father's death, and has since been in custody in the mountain town of Zintan.
The London School of Economics graduate has been at the centre of a protracted struggle between the International Criminal Court, where he is wanted for charges of crimes against humanity, and the Libyan courts, who insist he must face trial in Libya.
The Libyan judiciary seems to have won the battle, but a date for his trial has not yet been set. It was reported that a modern detention facility, complete with a basketball court and a personal chef, has been prepared for him in the capital Tripoli.

Saadi Gaddafi (son)

Saadi Gaddafi
Saadi Gaddafi, the former head of both the Libyan Football Federation and Libya's Special Forces, has been granted asylum in Niger, where he resides in a state guesthouse in Niamey after fleeing across the Sahara Desert.
Saadi is notorious for a brief career in top-flight Italian football which was cut short by a failed drugs test, as well as his playboy lifestyle.
Niger has refused Libyan requests to extradite him, with the justice minister saying he is "certain to face the death penalty".
In September, Interpol issued a "red notice", which would oblige member countries to arrest him. Last December, Mexican officials said they had discovered a smuggling ring which was trying to bring Saadi to Mexico under a false name.

Aisha Gaddafi (daughter)

Aisha Gaddafi
Aisha Gaddafi, the colonel's only daughter by birth, was granted refuge in Algeria with her mother and brother.
Three days after her arrival it was announced that she had given birth to a baby girl, whom she named Safiya after her mother.
Despite being under tight surveillance by the Algerian government, which is anxious to keep her quiet, she used a Syrian TV channel to call for Libyans to "revolt" against the new government.
She also hired an Israeli lawyer, Nick Kaufman, to petition the ICC to investigate her father's death.
Libyan media outlets have reported that Aisha supported Algeria in a recent encounter against the Libyan football team, saying that the new Libyan side "does not represent her".

Hanaa Gaddafi (adopted daughter)

Hanaa Gaddafi
Col Gaddafi had long claimed that his adopted daughter Hanaa was killed in a US air strike in 1986, when she was just 18 months old. However, since the revolution there has been growing evidence that Hanaa is still alive, although her current status is unknown.
Video footage has emerged of Hanaa playing with her father and brothers several years after the bombing.
Documents found in Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziyah compound show medical documents and even a British Council certificate under the name of Hanaa Muammar Gaddafi.
Libyan media sources report that Hanaa qualified as a doctor and worked at the Tripoli Medical Centre for several years.

Musa Ibrahim (former government spokesman)

Musa Ibrahim
Almost nothing is known about the fate of Musa Ibrahim, who was the face of the regime in the international media.
He gave almost daily briefings to journalists, assuring them that the regime would prevail even as the rebel offensive entered the capital.
From the same tribe as Gaddafi, Mr Ibrahim studied at several British universities and claimed to have lived in London for 15 years.
He was last seen in Tripoli just before it fell to opposition forces.
There have been several rumours about his arrest, the latest one in January 2012, but these have all turned out to be false.

Musa Kusa (former foreign intelligence chief)

Musa Kusa
Previously one of the Gaddafi regime's most powerful men, Musa Kusa defected about a month into the uprising and flew to the UK via Tunisia. He now lives in Qatar, one of the chief financiers and backers of the Libyan revolution.
Kusa was the head of the Libyan intelligence services from 1994 to 2009, when he became foreign minister until his defection.
A BBC Panorama investigation alleged that he personally tortured prisoners and was involved in the 1996 Abu Salim prison massacre in which more than 1,200 people died.
He denies the allegations and maintains that he has no knowledge of who was responsible for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

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