Islamist Militant Al-Mahdi Found Guilty of War Crimes After Destroying Shrines in Timbuktu

The International Criminal Court sentenced Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi on Tuesday, September 27, to nine years in prison for his role in destroying religious and historic buildings in Timbuktu, Mali, in June and July 2012. The verdict marks the court’s first prosecution of the destruction of cultural heritage as a war crime.

Human Rights Watch welcomed the sentencing, saying in a statement that the ICC had sent a “clear message” to the international community that “attacking the world’s historical treasures will be punished.”

Al-Mahdi, a Malian national and former member of Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), pleaded guilty to the charges in August. The war crime was committed in the attacking of 10 historic and religious monuments, including shrines, mausoleums and mosques, the court said. Credit: YouTube/International Criminal Court