Gaddafi Son Cleared from Charges on Murdering Football Coach

Al-Saadi Gaddafi, Asharq Al-Awsat
Al-Saadi Gaddafi, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Gaddafi Son Cleared from Charges on Murdering Football Coach

Al-Saadi Gaddafi, Asharq Al-Awsat
Al-Saadi Gaddafi, Asharq Al-Awsat

A Libyan court has acquitted Al-Saadi Gaddafi, son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, of murder charges pressed against him on the killing of the former Al-Ittihad player and coach Bashir Al-Riyani.

Meanwhile Libya’s Attorney General Office addressed its Egyptian counterpart to halt the arbitrary prosecution of Libyan officials affiliated with the toppled Gaddafi regime.

Saadi's defense Lawyer Mabrouka al-Tawergi said in statements carried by local media that the Tripoli Court of Appeal had acquitted her client in the case No. 2005-87 of the killing of Riyani “based on witness testimony.”

Saadi, who has been detained in al-Hadaba prison in Tripoli since March 2014, was cleared of the murder charge amid the return of tensions to Libya’s South.

Libya's Government of National Accord headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj announced the launching of a military operation code-named Asifat Al-Wattan (The Nation's Storm), aiming to eliminate ISIS remnants near Misurata, Libya's third largest city.

Starting Monday, the military operation will target ISIS militiamen and hideouts from a 60km checkpoint east of Misrata to the outskirts of Bani Walid, Tarhuna, Khoms and Zliten.

A security source close to the special “Deterrent Force” battalion told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saadi remains in prison to complete his trial on charges of "murder, torture and abuse of power during his father’s reign.”

It is worth mentioning that al-Hadaba is considered one of the most notorious prisons in Libya. It is run by Khaled al-Sharif, the security officer in the Libyan Fighting Group.

Led by Abdel Hakim Belhadj, the group explicitly labels itself as anti-Gaddafi.

Al-Hadaba is home to several thousand prisoners and detainees, most of whom are prominent figures in the former Gaddafi regime.



8 Turkish Soldiers Killed by Gas Exposure During Cave Search in Northern Iraq

A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
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8 Turkish Soldiers Killed by Gas Exposure During Cave Search in Northern Iraq

A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo

Eight Turkish soldiers died after being exposed to methane gas during a search operation in a cave in northern Iraq, the defense ministry said on Monday.

In a statement, the ministry said the incident took place on Sunday during a mission to locate the remains of a Turkish soldier killed during a military operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Eleven other soldiers who are also exposed to the gas in the cave have been taken to the hospital for treatment, the ministry said.

The cave was at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 foot) and was known to have been used as a hospital by the PKK in the past, although it had since been cleared by Turkish soldiers.

Türkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict which has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Türkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.