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Gaddafi charged for cleric kidnap | Gaddafi charged for cleric kidnap |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Lebanon has indicted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over the disappearance of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric during a visit to Libya 30 years ago. | |
It is widely believed in Lebanon that Sheikh Moussa Sadr, who was revered locally, was kidnapped and killed on the orders of senior Libyan officials. | |
Libya has always denied involvement and says the sheikh left the country safely on a plane bound for Rome. | Libya has always denied involvement and says the sheikh left the country safely on a plane bound for Rome. |
Col Gaddafi is accused of conspiring to kidnap and false imprisonment. | |
The charges carry the death penalty, but correspondents say it is highly unlikely that Col Gaddafi will ever stand trial in Lebanon. | The charges carry the death penalty, but correspondents say it is highly unlikely that Col Gaddafi will ever stand trial in Lebanon. |
Revered figure | Revered figure |
Col Gaddafi has ignored a previous Lebanese summons for questioning about the case and he has never officially visited Lebanon since the cleric's disappearance. | Col Gaddafi has ignored a previous Lebanese summons for questioning about the case and he has never officially visited Lebanon since the cleric's disappearance. |
Sheikh Moussa Sadr and two aides were visiting Libya in 1978 when they mysteriously disappeared. | |
Born in Iran in 1929, he had emigrated to Lebanon, where he remains a revered figure among the country's large Shia minority. | |
He founded Lebanon's opposition Amal movement, which is now led by parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri. | |
A charismatic speaker and religious scholar, the sheikh is credited with helping transform the Lebanese Shia into the major political force they are today. | |
Wednesday's arrest warrant was issued under a Lebanese law which allows for the indictment of any suspect who fails to respond to a summons for questioning. | Wednesday's arrest warrant was issued under a Lebanese law which allows for the indictment of any suspect who fails to respond to a summons for questioning. |