LYON, France – INTERPOL has published a Red Notice for Assaadi Gaddafi after Libyan authorities requested an internationally-wanted persons notice against the son of ousted Libyan leader Col Gaddafi for allegedly misappropriating properties through force and armed intimidation when he headed the Libyan Football Federation.
With INTERPOL confirming reports that Assaadi Gaddafi, aged 38, was last seen in Niger, the Red Notice for the Libyan national represents a regional and international alert to countries neighbouring Libya and Niger, and those with travel connections to Niger, to seek their help in locating and arresting Assaadi Gaddafi, with a view to returning him to Libya where an arrest warrant for him has been issued by the General Attorney at the Office of the Public Prosecutor.
As the Commander of military units allegedly involved in the repression of demonstrations by civilians during Libya’s uprising, Assaadi Gaddafi is also subject to a United Nations travel ban and assets freeze issued in March this year.
“The INTERPOL Red Notice against Assaadi Gaddafi will significantly restrict his ability to travel and cross international borders. It is a powerful tool that will help authorities locate and arrest him,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.
“This first Red Notice issued at the request of Libya since the Transitional National Council came to power is a compelling demonstration of the commitment of Libya’s new authorities to work with the world police community.”
“INTERPOL will continue to offer Libya’s Transitional National Council the full support of its global resources and services and is asking its member countries in the region to take all measures to apprehend Assaadi Gaddafi,” added the head of INTERPOL.
The publication of the INTERPOL Red Notice for Assaadi Gaddafi will see INTERPOL's Fugitive Investigative Support unit and its Command and Coordination Centre at its General Secretariat closely liaise with its National Central Bureaus in the region and worldwide to pool and update all relevant intelligence to ensure that the Libyan national is located, arrested and returned to Libya to face the serious charges against him.
Earlier this month INTERPOL issued Red Notices for Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and former director of military intelligence Abdullah Al-Senussi after the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, requested the world police body to issue internationally-wanted persons notices against the Libyan nationals for alleged crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution.
Since March 2011, through the publication that month of Orange Notice global alerts against Colonel Gaddafi and other Libyan nationals, including his son Assaadi Gaddafi and other members of his family and close associates, INTERPOL has been warning member states of the danger posed by the movement of these individuals and their assets following the sanctions established by United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 (2011) imposing a travel ban and assets freeze on the individuals.