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Report: U.K. Police Protected Gadhafi's Son From Assassination Plot In 2004

This morning The Guardian has a report about a 2004 incident concerning one of Moammar Gadhafi's most prominent children. Based on documents the paper found in Gadhafi's compound in Libya, The Guardianreports that in 2004, the United Kingdom offered Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi protection after the government uncovered an assassination plot.

The Guardian reports:

Officers from Scotland Yard's special branch spoke to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and reassured him that steps were being taken to ensure his safety. He was also put on the police's "at risk" register.

...

At the time of the plot in early 2004, Saif Gaddafi was living in London. Britain and the US were at pains to ensure that nothing upset Libya's return into the international community.

At the time Saif was studying at the London School of Economics. In many ways, he was seen by the West as the man who could bring Libya in line with the rest of the world. New York Magazine has a very good profile of him, which details disagreements with his father and his desire for a more democratic Libya.

The Guardianposted pdfs of the files they found at its website.

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Eyder Peralta
Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.