Khweldi held at airport by Tunisian authorities

Khweldi Humaidi and two family members were detained by Tunisian authorities at Carthage Airport on Wednesday night, according to media reports. Humaidi is a former senior advisor of the ousted Libyan Presdient, Muammar Gaddafi. Radio Mosaique reported that Tunisia prevented Humaidi from leaving the country as a result of its commitment to international law. It is claimed that Tunisia wanted to ensure that Humaidi is not wanted by the NTC or the International Criminal Court (ICC). Khweldi became one of Gaddafi's closest associates after the "Free Officers" revolution in 1969, which deposed King Idris al-Sanusi and saw Gaddafi come to power. Khweldi has held various positions over the years, including that of Minister of Interior and local Government, the Commander of the Popular Resistance, the Director of military Intelligence, and the Chairman for Control and Elimination of the Military. He was also involved in militarising towns around the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Khweldi has been accused of leading Gaddafi’s troops to attack civilians in Sorman in 2011. Weeks ago, the Tunisian Army stormed a neighborhood in the city of Ben Guerdane on the border with Libya, after receiving false intelligence that Khweldi was living with a local family. Reports have suggested that Khweldi left his Libyan hometown, Al Jamil city, and secretly crossed the border into Ben Guerdane where he stayed with Gaddafi loyalists. He later moved to Tunis. Since the fall of Tripoli on the 22nd August, many officials loyal to Gaddafi have attempted to leave Libya, with many travelling into Tunisia. There are believed to be scores of military leaders hiding among Tunisian families. On Sunday, a convoy carrying rebel commanders arrived in Niger, including Gaddafi’s Security Commander Mansour Daou, according to Niger's government. Last week, Gaddafi’s wife and three of his children sought refuge in Algeria on "humanitarian grounds", an act condemned by Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC).