SAAD GADAFFI EXTRADITED FROM NIGER TO LIBYA

bb1 wrote:Thanks, LL - I'd forgotten all about him. Was he one of the idiot sons or one of the really nasty ones?

Al-Saadi Gaddafi (Arabic: الساعدي معمر القذافي‎; born 25 May 1973), is the third son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He is a Libyan former association football player. In 2011, he was the commander of Libya's Special Forces and was involved in the Libyan civil war.[1] An Interpol notice (red notice) has been issued against him. Al-Saadi was a part of his father's inner circle. On March 5, 2014 he was arrested in Niger and extradited to Libya.

Gaddafi is known for his involvement in Libyan football. On 6 June 2000, the BBC reported that Gaddafi had signed with Maltese champions Birkirkara F.C. and would play for them in the Champions League. The move failed to materialize.

Libyan football was arranged to favor Saadi. One law forbade announcing the name of any football player with the exception of Saadi. Only numbers of other players were announced. Referees favored Saadi's club and security forces were used to silence protests.

He signed for Italian Serie A team Perugia in 2003, employing Diego Maradona as his technical consultant and Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson as his personal trainer. He made only one substitute appearance before failing a drug test.

"Even at twice his current speed he would still be twice as slow as slow itself."
—Analysis in la Repubblica after his brief appearance for Perugia.

He was also captain of the Libya national football team, captain of his home club in Tripoli, and president of the Libyan Football Federation.

Gaddafi joined UEFA Champions League qualifiers Udinese Calcio in 2005–06, playing only ten minutes in an end-of-season league match against Cagliari Calcio.

He joined U.C. Sampdoria during season 2006–07, without playing a single match.

In July 2010, Gaddafi was ordered by an Italian court to pay 392,000 Euros to a luxurious Ligurian hotel for an unpaid bill dating back to a month-long stay in the summer of 2007

On 15 March 2011, there were unconfirmed reports that a pilot by the name of Muhammad Mokhtar Osman had flown his jet into the Gaddafi stronghold of Bab al-Azizia in Tripoli damaging it and injuring Saadi and his brother Khamis.

Speaking to BBC Panorama, a former Jamahiriya soldier claimed that Saadi had personally ordered to shoot unarmed protesters in Benghazi when visiting the city's army barracks at the beginning of the uprising. Saadi confirmed that he had been at the barracks but denied giving orders to fire on protesters.

Saadi was reportedly the driving force behind a change in fighting tactics of the government's forces. Instead of using heavy infantry, tanks and armored cars – which could easily be distinguished from the Free Libyan Army and then destroyed by allied fighter jets – the fight against the rebels was pursued with small, fast and versatile units.

The rebels claimed that they captured him during the Battle of Tripoli, on 21 August, but later the claim turned out to be false.

On 24 August, Al-Saadi contacted CNN, stating that he had the authority to negotiate on behalf of loyalist forces, and wished to discuss a ceasefire with U.S. and NATO authorities. A week later he contacted Al Arabiya, stating his father was ready to step down, and called for dialogue with the National Transitional Council.

On 5 September, Saadi said in an interview with CNN that an "aggressive" speech by his brother Saif al-Islam had led to the breakdown of talks between NTC forces and Gaddafi loyalists in Bani Walid, and said he had not seen his father in two months. Saadi also claimed a position of neutrality in the conflict and offered to mediate.

On 11 September, Saadi fled to Niger and was allowed entrance on humanitarian grounds.[22][23] According to the government of Niger, they plan to detain Al-Saadi while determining what to do with him.[24] Al-Saadi had also been trying to assemble a team to transport him to Barbados or Venezuela.[25]

On 29 September, an Interpol red notice was issued for Saadi. Brigi Rafini, the prime minister of Niger said he would not allow Saadi to be extradited.

On 11 November, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou said his government had decided to grant Al-Saadi asylum "on humanitarian grounds".

On 7 December, the Mexican interior secretary said that Mexican intelligence agents broke up a smuggling ring attempting to bring Al-Saadi into Mexico under a false name.[