Escape guide behind capture of Qaddafi's son

A Libyan guide's betrayal led to the recent capture in Libya's southern desert of the last at-large son of Muammar Qaddafi.

Yussef Saleh al-Hotmani told the Reuters news agency that he was employed to help Saif al-Islam escape from Libya to the neighboring country of Niger in exchange for one million euros. He informed Libya's rebel fighters that Saif's convoy would be passing through on Nov. 18.

"I had agreed with the fighters (who captured Saif al-Islam) that the best place for the ambush would be in a part of desert that was surrounded by high ground," said Hotmani, who later added that he deliberately told the convoy to drive 2 miles apart to give the rebels time to reorganize.

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Fifteen fighters from Zintan and Hotmani's own tribe were awaiting to ambush the convoy. "When we arrived at the dark, deep hollow the gunfire was very precise, it only took about half a minute to capture the first car," said Hotmani.

"When the second car arrived, we started to shoot very precisely, to damage the vehicle so he could not escape."

According to Reuters, Hotmani would not offer details on how or when he reached out to the rebel fighters who captured Saif al-Islam. He thought that Saif al-Islam and his guards would kill him once they made it to the border. Hotmani said he wasn't paid the one million euros that was agreed upon.

"I didn't ask for an advance payment or anything," Hotmani said. "There was no money in the car. This proves that he wanted to execute me at the border."

As of Tuesday, Saif al-Islam is being held in Zintan and the International Criminal Court has charged him with war crimes. The ICC prosecutor said that Libya could put him on trial but that the Hague has to be involved.