JURIST - Paper Chase: Muammar Gaddafi's cousin arrested in Egypt

[JURIST] Ahmed Qaddaf al-Dam, cousin of Muammar Gaddafi [BBC obituary; JURIST news archive], was arrested at his home Tuesday in central Cairo by Libyan forces. The arrest of Qaddaf al-Dam coincides with the second anniversary [BBC report] of the air campaign commenced in Libya by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that assisted rebels in toppling Gaddafi's regime. Qaddaf al-Dam, who was also a trusted accomplice of the former leader, has said he plans on filing a complaint [AFP report] with the Egyptian public prosecutor and Libyan authorities. The Egyptian-controlled Middle East News Agency (MENA) has reported that Libyan authorities will gain control of al-Dam and plan on prosecuting him [Middle East Online]. The specific charges faced by Qaddaf al-Dam are still unknown.

The potential prosecution of Qaddaf al-Dam marks the latest in a series of trials concerning those responsible for the Gaddafi regime following the uprising in Libya. The trial of 40 former Libyan officials [JURIST report] began earlier in March in al-Zawiya. In January Gaddafi's son appeared for the first time in court [JURIST report] in Zintan, Libya. In November the trial of former Libyan prime minister [JURIST report] Al Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi began.