The Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a key supporter of one of the sons of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
The department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said it targeted Humayd Abd-al-Salam because he had provided material assistance as well as financial, logistical and technical support to Saadi Gadhafi, who has warned of a new uprising in Libya.
The Treasury action was part of an effort to “expose those who are trying to derail Libyas transition,” said Treasury official Adam J. Szubin.
“Today’s designation targets a key supporter of Saadi Gadhafi, who remains determined to carry on his fathers legacy, to reverse Libya’s democratic transition through violence, and to foster instability in the region,” he added.
Saadi Gadhafi, one of Col. Gadhafi’s three surviving sons, fled from Libya to Niger in September, a month before his father was killed by revolutionary militias. Rival militias have clashed with each other in parts of the country and undermined the attempts by the interim National Transitional Council (NTC) to assert control.
Saadi Gadhafi told Al Arabiya television in a phone interview late Friday that a “new popular uprising” against the transitional council is imminent. He also said he could return to Libya at any time.
“The Libyan people are governed by gangs, and people must work to eradicate militias,” he said. “The NTC is not a legitimate body … and is not in control of the militias.”
Friday marks the first anniversary of the revolution that ended 42 years of Col. Gadhafi’s rule. Libyan authorities are on high alert in anticipation of unrest this week.
• Ashish Kumar Sen can be reached at asen@washingtontimes.com.
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