Suspected al-Qaeda Mali rebel first to face war crime charges for damaging cultural heritage

Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahd is accused of destroying historical monuments in the northern Mali city of Timbuktu. He stands trial, the first of its kind, at the International Criminal Court at The Hauge, Netherlands. Ansar al-Dine, Malis al-Qaeda affiliate, destroyed 14 of 16 historic mausoleums in Timbuktu in 2012. It is expected that al-Mahd will plead guilty to the charges. Aug 22, 2016