Islamist charged in destruction of Timbuktu mausoleums sent to International Criminal Court
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this file photo taken Saturday, July 18, 2015, people attending a ceremony stand near a mausoleum, right, that was restored in Timbuktu, Mali after the 14 mausoleums in Mali’s northern historic city that had been destroyed by Islamic extremists in 2012 have been restored. An alleged Islamic extremist charged with involvement in the destruction of religious buildings has been arrested and was sent to the International Criminal Court early Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015 to face justice. (AP Photo/Baba Ahmed, File) (The Associated Press)
An alleged Islamic extremist charged with involvement in the destruction of religious buildings in the historic city of Timbuktu in Mali in 2012 has been arrested and sent to the International Criminal Court to face justice.
Ahmad Al Mahdi Al Faqi, known as Abu Tourab, is the first suspect in the court's custody charged with the war crime of destroying religious or historical monuments.
The court announced in the early hours of Saturday that Al Faqi was surrendered to the court by Niger and transferred to The Hague.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The court says he was a member of Ansar Dine, an Islamic extremist group with links to al-Qaida that ruled across northern Mali in 2012.
He is charged in the destruction of 10 historic buildings including mausoleums and a mosque in Timbuktu.