An alleged Al-Qaeda linked Islamist leader was on Saturday handed over to the International Criminal Court to face charges of aiding the destruction of
Mali’s fabled city of Timbuktu, in the first such case before the tribunal.
Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi was detained under an arrest warrant issued by the ICC last week and handed over by the authorities in Niger, the court said in a statement.
The details of his arrest were not immediately clear.
He is suspected “of war crimes allegedly committed in Timbuktu, Mali, between about 30 June 2012 and 10 July 2012, through intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion and/or historical monuments,” the statement said.