Libya’s vice-premier said yesterday his country was determined to have Muammar Gaddafi’s ex-spy chief, also wanted by the International Criminal Court, extradited to stand trial on home soil.

He must answer for these crimes in Libya, before Libyan courts

“We are determined to get (Abdullah) Senussi back, because this man has committed crimes against Libyans,” Mustafa Abu Shagur said on his arrival in Mauritania where Mr Senussi was arrested Friday.

“He must answer for these crimes in Libya, before Libyan courts,” he said.

Mauritania has received a flurry of extradition requests, with both France and the ICC in The Hague keen on prosecuting Col Gaddafi’s feared former right-hand man.

Interpol had issued a so-called “red notice” for Mr Senussi on behalf of Libya “for fraud offences including embezzling public funds and misuse of power for personal benefit”.

Mr Senussi, brother-in-law to the slain dictator Gaddafi and said by some to have been the “black box” of the former Libyan regime, is still in the hands of Mauritanian police.

The country is not party to the treaty that set up the ICC and officials want to carry out their own investigation before it considers any extradition requests.

Mr Senussi was detained on Friday night at Nouakchott airport after arriving on a regular flight from Casablanca in Morocco, using a false passport.

Amnesty international said on Saturday that Mr Senussi should be tried by the ICC in the absence of a functioning judiciary in Libya.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr Senussi on June 27, saying he was an “indirect perpetrator of crimes against humanity, of murder and persecution based on political grounds” committed in the eastern city of Benghazi.

He could also be held accountable in Libya for the Abu Salim prison massacre of 1996 when more than 1,000 detainees were gunned down.

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