Colonel Gaddafi's former head of military intelligence has been extradited to Libya to be tried for crimes related to the former dictator's regime. Abdullah al-Senussi fled Libya following the toppling of the regime last year, and has been in Mauritania since March after slipping illegally into the country.

Arrested on arrival, Senussi has been held in custody, with the Mauritanian government handing him over based on what a source said were "guarantees given by Libyan authorities."

Senussi was married to Gaddafi's sister-in-law, and was one of the Libyan dictator's closest aides for over three decades. He has been accused of various human rights abuses including his alleged role in the 1996 massacre of more than 1,000 inmates at the Abu Salim prison in Tripoli.

The move dashes the hopes of the International Criminal Court, the Hague, America and France, who all had an interest in brining Mr Senussi to justice.

It is hoped that Senussi's return to Libya and subsequent questioning could shed new light on his alleged involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, in which 270 people were killed when a terrorist attack blew up a Pan-Am flight over Scotland.

Written and presented by Alfred Joyner