International court seeks Interpol’s help in search for elusive Gaddafi

Luis Moreno-Ocampo is asking the international police organisation to issue so-called “red notices” for Gaddafi and says arresting him is a “matter of time”.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo’s office in the Netherlands also announced he has sought Interpol’s help to arrest Gaddafi’s son and one-time heir apparent Saif al-Islam, and the regime’s intelligence chief Abdullah Al-Sanoussi.

All three men are accused of crimes against humanity for unleashing a campaign of murder and torture since February in an attempt to crush dissent. The court issued arrest warrants for the three men in June, but has no police force to detain the suspects.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi himself has issued an audio announcement rejecting reports that he had fled to neighbouring Niger, claiming that he was still in Libya.

In the recording, broadcast on loyalist Al-Rai TV, Gaddafi also blasts former rebels who ousted him from power as “a bunch of mercenaries, thugs and traitors” and claims “we are ready to start the fight in Tripoli and everywhere else, and rise against them”.

The broadcast came amid conflicting statements and speculation about Gaddafi’s whereabouts.