THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – Expressing “deep regret” for his actions, an Islamic extremist pleaded guilty Monday to orchestrating the destruction of historic mausoleums in the Malian desert city of Timbuktu.
Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, wearing a dark suit and striped tie, stood and calmly told judges he was entering the guilty plea “with deep regret and great pain” and advised Muslims around the world not to commit similar acts, saying “they are not going to lead to any good for humanity.”
The guilty plea was a landmark for the court, which has struggled to bring suspects to justice since its establishment in 2002. It was the first guilty plea and the first time prosecutors have launched a trial for the crime of deliberately attacking buildings of religious or cultural significance.
“Our cultural heritage is not a luxury good,” Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the three-judge panel. She said Al Mahdi’s guilty plea “will set a clear precedent, sending an important and positive message to the entire world.”
She compared the case to the destruction last year of historic ruins in the Syrian city of Palmyra by Islamic State extremists.