The head of the Jihadist police in Timbuktu has been arrested for war crimes in Mali

The International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced the former head of the Islamic police in the historic Mali city of Timbuktu to 10 years in prison for war crimes.

Prosecutors say al-Hassan ag Abdoul Aziz ag Mohamed ag Mahmoud led a “terrorist regime” in the city after it was defeated in 2012 by the al-Qaeda-linked group Ansar Dine.

He was found guilty in June this year of torture, overseeing the mutilation of public parts with a machete and the brutal beating of residents, including children.

He was acquitted of charges of rape and sexual slavery, and of destroying the ancient temples of Timbuktu.

Hassan was handed over to the ICC in 2018 by Malian authorities – five years after French troops helped liberate Timbuktu from jihadists.

Ansar Dine was one of the Islamist militant groups that used the Tuareg rebellion to take over towns in northern Mali.

Another Islamic terrorist leader who destroyed holy places in Timbuktu was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2016.

Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi admitted to leading militias that destroyed historic mausoleums in a world heritage site in Mali in 2012.

Timbuktu was a major center of Islamic learning between the 13th and 17th centuries and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988.