Abdullah Senussi
Abdullah Senussi (b. 1949, Sudan) is the brother-in-law of Colonel Gaddafi, the Libyan leader. He is married to Gaddafi's wife's sister.[1]
According to The Guardian he has had a reputation for brutality since the 1970s. During the 1980s he was head of internal security in Libya, at a time when many opponents of Gaddafi were killed. More recently he has been described as the head of military intelligence, but it is unclear whether he actually holds an official rank. In 1999 he was convicted in absentia in France for his role in a 1989 bombing of a passenger plane flying over Niger that resulted in the deaths of 170 people. Libyans believe he is responsible for massacring 1,200 prisoners at the Abu Salim jail in 1996. He is also thought to have been behind an alleged plot in 2003 to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.[1]
US embassy cables described him as being a confidant of Gaddafi who makes "many of his medical arrangements". During the 2011 Libyan civil war, he was blamed for orchestrating killings in the city of Benghazi and recruiting foreign mercenaries. He is believed to have extensive business interests in Libya.[1]
On 1 March 2011, Libya's Quryna newspaper reported that Gaddafi sacked him.[2]
On 16 May 2011, the International Criminal Court prosecutor announced that he is seeking an arrest warrant for Abdullah Senussi on charges of crimes against humanity.[3]
On 21 July 2011, Libyan opposition sources claimed that Senussi was killed in an attack by armed rebels in Tripoli; however, a few hours later the same sources recanted on their earlier claim and some even said he might have just been injured.[4]
References
- ^ a b c Ian Black Middle East editor (2011-02-22). "Gaddafi's confidant is Abdullah Senussi, a brutal right-hand man". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Libya uprising continues – live updates, Ian Black, The Guardian, 1 March 2011
- ^ "ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Gaddafi". Reuters. 16 May 2011.
- ^ July 21st Updates
External links
- Libya: Who is propping up Gaddafi?, Frank Gardner, BBC News, 23 February 2011