As it happened: Saif al-Islam captured in Libya

Welcome to our live page following the breaking news that Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam has been captured in southern Libya.

It is a very significant moment for Libyans. They came to see Saif as the heir apparent, as a younger version of his father due to his rhetoric during the uprising and they had been waiting in anticipation of his capture.

Libyan officials say Saif al-Islam was detained with several bodyguards and taken to the town of Obari by fighters in the western mountain town of Zintan, according to Reuters news agency.

People are already celebrating on the streets of Tripoli, honking car horns, waving flags and firing guns into the air.

You can read more about Saif al-Islam Saif al Islam in this profile, and have a look here to find out more about what has happened to members of Col Gaddafi's family.

The UK Foreign Office says it will not comment on the capture or what process will follow until it receives proper confirmation.

BBC correspondent Jon Leyne in Cairo says Saif al-Islam was of seven sons of Col Gaddafi. He says three others have already been killed and another three have left Libya.

More from Jon Leyne. He said through this episode Saif seemed to have gathered his father's bravado, growing a beard, and becoming chief spokesman. "He lost the tinge of liberal the West had mistakenly thought he had and became one of the fighters," he said.

Former British ambassador to Libya, Oliver Miles, said Saif was much more prominent internationally than he ever was in Libya. "He's prominent, but he's yesterday's man - this won't have a huge implication for what's going to happen in Libya," he told the BBC.

Middle East analyst Nabila Ramdani said the capture was hugely important to help establish the future of a new Libya. "It will help the NTC show it is committed to a democratic future for Libya," she told the BBC.

We have had no independent verification or pictures, although officials here insist he has been caught. We have also heard from the justice minister who said Saif al-Islam will have a fair trial in Libya. We don't know if he was trying to get out of the country, but that's what officials here have been saying. They say he was trying to escape to Niger. We've also heard there's a plane heading from Tripoli to Zintan.

A picture is circulating of Saif al-Islam reportedly taken by militia in Sabha after capturing him in a firefight early on Saturday morning. It first appeared on a Sabha group's Facebook page.

The International Criminal Court says it has received confirmation of the detention. "We're co-ordinating with the Libyan Ministry of Justice to ensure any solution with regards to the arrest of Saif al-Islam is in accordance with the law," an ICC spokeswoman says.

A helicopter carrying Saif al-Islam has landed on a military runway for cargo planes in Zintan, Libyan TV reports.

Here's that Facebook image of Saif al-Islam, reportedly taken by militia in Sabha.

Hundreds of people gathered at the runway in Zintan to witness the aircraft containing Saif al-Islam land, Reuters reports. It says some tried to board the aircraft but were held back by fighters.

More from the ICC. Spokesman Fadi El Abdallah tells the BBC the court may be prepared to allow a trial to take place in Libya if it believes it would be conducted fairly.

Mr El Abdallah said: "If they would claim that they would prefer to have a fair trial in Libya, there is a legal process that needs to be done before the ICC.

"It would be for the ICC judges to decide whether or not the case is admissable and to decide whether or not the Libyan authorities in this case would be genuinely offering a trial to Saif al Islam for the same crimes that are alleged before the ICC."

Accounts are emerging of how Saif al-Islam may have been caught. A spokesman for the Sabha local revolutionary council tells Libyan TV al-Ahrar that local guide Yousif Salih al-Mahdi was approached by Saif al-Islam and his entourage to smuggle them into Niger. The spokesman said the guide instead risked his life and contacted the NTC to tell them of his whereabouts.

A university professor from Tripoli describes scenes of jubilation in the city. Saud Sharif tells the BBC: "Everybody is celebrating, everybody happy. All over the world I think Libyan people they are very happy to hear this news. This is the final chapter about the crisis we lived for 42 years."

Apologies for our break in coverage, which was due to a technical error. For those just joining us, here's a quick recap of events:

• Libya's interim justice minister confirms Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam has been captured - reportedly near the town of Obari in the south of the country
• The former leader's son is the last key member of the Gaddafi family to be captured
• A Reuters reporter at Zintan said he had already been flown there

Reuters reports that it has spoken to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi since his capture. He said he was OK and that the bandages on his hand - seen in a photograph released by militia in Sabha earlier - were from injuries sustained in an air strike a month ago.

Children celebrate in Benghazi after news of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's arrest.

The European Union is quoted by the AFP news agency as saying Libya should work with the International Criminal Court to ensure Saif al-Islam is given a proper trial.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo is reported by the AP newswire saying he will travel to Libya next week for talks with the country's transitional government on where Saif al-Islam will be tried.

Libyan TV has broadcast this picture which it claims shows Saif al-Islam (left) on the plane heading to Zintan. It was taken from a local Facebook page in Zintan.

Former British Foreign Secretary Lord Owen reacts to news of the arrest of Saif Gaddafi. He tells the BBC: "Now that he's been captured, it's absolutely essential that due process of law takes place, and that's a part of building the reputation of Libya back up."

Lord Owen adds: "Libya has just emerged from a most ghastly civil war, a revolution, and successful transition of power, but with a lot of rough edges... we've got to help them reach a solution that's acceptable to the international community."

Our picture gallery charting the rise and fall of Saif al-Islam is worth a look. You can view it here.

A Nato spokeswoman tells Reuters the alliance trusts the Libyan authorities and the International Criminal Court to secure justice for Saif al-Islam after his capture.

Reuters has released this fresh image of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi on a plane in Zintan following his capture.

More from ICC proescutor Luis Moreno Ocampo now. He tells the BBC Saif al-Islam's arrest is good news and very important because the ICC considers him - along with his father Col Muammar Gaddafi - the "principal" behind the crimes committed in Libya. "He is arrested, he is alive, and now he will face justice, and that is the most important news," he said.

An interesting bit of analysis from the Guardian's Peter Beaumont, who looks back at Saif al-Islam's role in the Libyan regime prior to and after the fall of Tripoli.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has welcomed Saif al-Islam's arrest, saying the "fate of the Gaddafis should act as a warning to brutal dictators everywhere". He adds: "The Libyan Government has told us again today that he will receive a trial in line with international standards, and it is important that this happens."

says there is clearly a sense in Mr Cameron's statement that the UK government would like Saif al-Islam to be tried in the International Criminal Court - but all along the UK government has been keen to underline that the Libyan people should have ownership of the revolution. Perhaps instead ICC officials could go to Tripoli to advise on the judicial process.

Portia Walker of the Independent newspaper, who is in Tripoli, tells the BBC that people there are conveying a sense of relief that the final chapter in the war has come, though they are also still waiting for final confirmation and more photos to emerge. A lot of people said they'd like to see him go to The Hague (to be tried by the ICC) but others want justice within Libya, she says - they want to see a fair trial and fair treatment in custody to show the world that Libya is on the right path.

We've just published a fascinating insight into what effect Saif al-Islam's capture could have on current intensive efforts to accommodate competing forces and form a new government in Libya. Click here to read it.

NTC Justice Minister Mohammed al-Allagi has told the Libyan news agency WAL that Saif al-Islam must be tried in Libya, BBC Monitoring reports. He says Libya has all legal guarantees and standards to conduct a fair and impartial trial.

Nato has added its voice to those urging that justice be served upon Saif al-Islam. "We trust that the Libyan authorities and the International Criminal Court will ensure that justice runs its course, so that the new Libya can be built on the rule of law and respect for human rights," spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said, according to AFP news agency.

"He stands accused of crimes against humanity in the conflict that caused the Libyan people so much suffering," she added.

says although Saif al-Islam became the face of the Libyan regime overseas he was perhaps less prominent in Libya itself. A bachelor with considerable property investments overseas, ordinary Libyans knew little about Saif's reputation for throwing lavish parties, rubbing shoulders with popstars and being pictured with his two pet tigers. But as the only surviving member of the Gaddafi family likely to face trial in Libya, interest in Saif al Islam is unlikely to wane, our correspondent adds.

Thanks for following the BBC's live page on the capture of Saif al-Islam. This is the end of Saturday's minute-by-minute coverage, but stay tuned to the BBC for all the latest developments.