By IANS,
London : The International Criminal Court at The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, BBC reported.
The court has accused Gaddafi of crimes against humanity and of ordering attacks on civilians after an uprising against him began in February.
Warrants were also issued for two of Gaddafi’s top aides – his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi.
Presiding judge Sanji Monageng said there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that Gaddafi and his son were “criminally responsible as indirect co-perpetrators” for the persecution and murder of civilians in Libya.
The warrants had been requested by chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo in May.
He said the court has evidence that Gaddafi had “personally ordered” attacks on unarmed Libyan civilians and was behind the arrest and torture of his political opponents.
Libyan authorities earlier said they do not recognise the court and were not concerned by the threat of an arrest warrant.
Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said the court had “no legitimacy whatsoever”.