Interpol puts Gaddafi's son Saadi on wanted list

Interpol has issued an arrest warrant for Saadi Gaddafi, a son of the deposed Libyan leader, at the request of Libya's transitional authorities. Saadi Gaddafi, 38, is accused of "allegedly misappropriating properties through force and armed intimidation when he headed the Libyan Football Federation," the world police body said in a statement. Saadi Gaddafi was last seen in Niger. Interpol has urged regional authorities to help establish his location and return him to Libya. "As the commander of military units allegedly involved in the repression of demonstrations by civilians during Libya's uprising, Saadi Gaddafi is also subject to a United Nations travel ban and assets freeze," the Interpol document says. Saadi commanded an elite army unit in Libya after a brief career as a professional footballer in Italy. He fled Libya for Niger earlier this month together with other members of the Gaddafi family, after rebel forces established control over most of the country in August, forcing the Libyan leader to go on the run. Earlier this month, Niger refused to send Saadi back to Libya "where he could face the death penalty," but said it could hand him over to "an independent court." Niger has recognized the National Transitional Council as Libya's interim authority. In mid-September, the United Nations gave the Council a seat at the General Assembly that had been occupied by representatives of the Gaddafi government for the past 42 years. On September 9, Interpol put the ousted Libyan leader and his other son, Seif al-Islam, as well as his intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, on a wanted list.