U.S. says Niger confirms intercepted Gaddafi son (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The government of Niger has confirmed to the United States that it has intercepted Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saadi, and is studying what to do with him, the U.S. State Department said on Monday.

“We have confirmed with the government of Niger that Saadi crossed over (and) that they are either in the process or have already brought him to the capital of Naimey and intend to detain him,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Nuland said Niger was in contact with Libya’s interim National Transitional Council and was assessing what to do next both with him and other Libyans linked to the Gaddafi government who have crossed into the country in recent days.

“The government of Niger, as it did with the previous members of the regime, has made clear to the TNC that it is prepared to cooperate with the Libyan Transitional National Council on the disposition of these people,” Nuland said.

“The TNC is trying to make its own decisions about what it thinks the appropriate course of action is.”

A Niger cabinet official said last week that the northern African country would respect its commitments to the International Criminal Court if Gaddafi or his sons entered the country.

Britain and other countries in the international coalition backing Libyan insurgents against Gaddafi have said this week they would expect any ICC signatory country to hand the former Libyan leader over to the Hague-based court.

The Niger official said that at least two former senior Libyan officials have been placed “under control” in the northern desert city of Agadez, but stressed that they were accepted into the country on humanitarian grounds.

(Reporting by Andrew Quinn; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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