Jihadist, Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi bags 9 years for Timbuktu attacks

War crimes judges on Tuesday sentenced a Malian jihadist to nine years in jail for destroying the fabled shrines of Timbuktu, in a landmark ruling experts hope will help safeguard the world’s vulnerable monuments.

Judges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague found Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi guilty of directing the 2012 attacks on the Unesco world heritage site in northern Mali.

Mahdi “supervised the destruction and gave instructions to the attackers”, presiding judge Raul Pangalangan told the tribunal.

“The chamber unanimously finds that Mr al-Mahdi is guilty of the crime of attacking protected sites as a war crime,” he added, saying the crime had “significant gravity”.

The court “unanimously sentences you to nine years of imprisonment”, Pangalangan added as Mahdi, dressed in a sober grey suit and blue-striped tie, listened intently.