* Military commander whose troops captured Saif is rewarded with role as nation's new defence minister
* Libya can try ousted leader's son at home, but International Criminal Court insists its judges must be involved
Colonel Gaddafi’s captured son Saif predicted Libya would slide back into conflict within weeks.
The 39-year-old former playboy spoke out as the country unveiled its new government last night.
The key job of defence minister went to an obscure army commander from Zintan – the remote mountain town where Saif was captured on Saturday.
Leaders in the area had refused to hand over their trophy prisoner for trial unless they received a top post in the new cabinet.
None of the cabinet positions announced last night went to prominent Islamists, which will come as a relief to David Cameron and his Western allies who helped oust Colonel Gaddafi.
But the defence appointment of Osama Jueili from Zintan, a town with 16,000 inhabitants, was a major surprise.
His appointment means Islamist Abdul Hakim Belhaj, the former Guantanamo Bay inmate who plans to sue MI6 over torture claims, has been cut out of the secularist government.
Mr Jueili denied he won the job as a reward for catching Saif. He said: ‘It is an insult to suggest a deal was done.’
Saif remains at a secret location in custody in a private house in the town. In a ranting video message, he said that ‘in a couple of months or maximum one year’ regions that banded together to oust his family would turn on one another.
He is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, but the ICC conceded he would be tried in Libya. It means he will almost certainly face the death penalty if convicted.
Secret location: Saif Gaddafi, seated, shown in a released video with his Libyan captors. The son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi has been reportedly arguing with fighters loyal to the National Transitional Council.Injuries: The footage shows the bandages still on the thumb and two fingers of Saif's right hand - injuries that Saif claims were sustained during an allied attack.In pain: The footage shows Saif grimacing while sitting in his chair. It is unclear whether he is reactive from his injuries or his general predicament
Hailed a hero: Yussef Saleh al-Hotmani, agreed to guide Saif Gaddafi to safety over the Niger border, but instead directed him to an ambush in the desert
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