Lebanese Team Interrogated Senussi in Mauritania before Extradition to Libya

A Lebanese delegation interrogated Moammar Gadhafi’s spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi in Mauritania on Wednesday ahead of his extradition to Libya, a well-informed source said.

Senussi, Gadhafi's brother-in-law and feared former right-hand man, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and Lebanese authorities believe he might have information about the 1978 disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr and his two companions while on a visit to Libya.

The Lebanese delegation asked Senussi “several questions,” the source told al-Manar television, adding that “the meeting was long and beneficial, but nothing decisive emerged and the meeting won’t be the last of its kind.”

“The step is insufficient despite its importance,” the source noted, revealing that the Lebanese team asked Libyan authorities to allow them to meet with Gadhafi’s son Seif al-Islam who is being held by a militia comprising former rebels in the Libyan town of Zintan.

The Lebanese delegation received promises that remain unmet, the source added.

The source also called for realizing the sensitivity of the case and “avoiding rumors.”

An Nahar daily reported on Sunday that Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour was in Mauritania for talks with top officials on the possibility of meeting with Senussi as part of his efforts to reveal the fate of Sadr.

Senussi was arrested in Mauritania in March and charged two months later for illegal entry and use of forged documents.

According to An Nahar, Senussi is described as the “the treasure of secrets” and knows the fate of Sadr and his two companions.

Sadr and his two companions, Sheikh Mohammed Yacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine, arrived in Tripoli on August 25, 1978 for talks with Moammar Gadhafi. They were seen for the last time on August 31, 1978.

Sadr was invited to Tripoli by Gadhafi and was trying to negotiate an end to the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990), in which Palestinian factions were involved.

Gadhafi was believed to be shipping weapons to the Palestinians and other groups and Sadr, according to reports, was hoping to convince the Libyan leader to refrain from stoking the unrest in Lebanon.

But his visit to Tripoli along with his two aides took a sour turn after he got into a heated argument with Gadhafi who ordered that the three men be "taken away," according to an indictment against the slain Libyan leader issued by Lebanese authorities.

Gadhafi’s regime had stated that the three left Tripoli to Italy, which after conducting an investigation into the case denied the claims.

In 2004, the passports of Sadr and Yacoub were found in a hotel in Rome.

In August 2008, Lebanon issued arrest warrants against Gadhafi and some of his aides, accusing them of kidnapping Sadr and his companions.