The former prime minister of ousted Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s government has been jailed for six months in Tunisia for entering the country illegally.
Al Baghdadi Ali al Mahmoudi was arrested after security forces found him without a visa in his passport near Tamaghza at the border with Algeria on Wednesday.
He was sentenced to half a year behind bars when he faced the state prosecutor on Thursday.
Earlier this month, another member of Gaddafi’s inner circle, Khouildi Hamidi, was briefly detained at Tunis airport for illegal entry.
It has now been claimed that forces loyal to the NTC uncovered a stash of chemical weapons when taking hold of the town.
But there may have been a bigger prize concealed there.
There are fresh – as yet, unconfirmed – reports of sightings of Col Gaddafi himself fleeing the town as it fell.
Both the towns of Sabha and Jufra in the southern desert are now fully in the hands of the NTC, according to its military spokesman.
In the former regime strongholds in the north of the country, it is a different story.
Pro-Gaddafi fighters in Bani Walid and Sirte continue to hold out against NTC assaults and Nato air strikes.
The resolve and heavy defences of the pro-Gaddafi forces are giving rise to speculation that there must still be something or someone valuable worth protecting and fighting for.
Outside the towns, the frustration is mounting amongst the rebels. So far they have made little progress beyond the outskirts.
Every advance has been repelled by heavy artillery and mortars. As they move closer to the centres, snipers are picking off fighters and bringing an ever-increasing number of casualties.
The inability to make any inroads is causing frustration and boredom among the NTC forces stationed outside the towns.
Tensions are also reaching boiling point between local fighters and outside reinforcements, causing rifts and accusations of treachery in the ranks.
That friction has been mirrored in the NTC’s efforts to agree on a new government.
An announcement of its members was expected earlier this week but has repeatedly been postponed. It is hoped the return of NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil from the United States will be the catalyst for agreement.
His efforts to bring its members and the country together have reportedly received a financial boost, with a surprise find in the Central Bank of Libya.
Officials from the Libyan stabilisation team say they have found $23bn worth of assets. The new funds will help set the country on track for redevelopment.
It is still waiting for international sanctions to be lifted on much of the Libyan assets frozen under the Gaddafi regime.