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MI| andMl6 ecognisede wasn reality,he eyes ndears"of Gaddafitheentry ointo heseuetenvironmentwhich adallowedGaddafio ruleoverhepeople fLibyafor30years...,contactsn heUK nd n heman imself.twas atherargeile. isntelligenceolenLondon as irstmonitoredhen ebecameLibyan mbassadorn 1980.Hebroughtithhim powerfulecurityelegationha t adliaisonsoanumberlpeoplelreadyndersurveillanceyMlS. ewas egardedsapotenthreat,utollowingcarefuluse,Kusaaven nterviewo ournalistshowerermedith omeloaded"uestions.Askedbouthosexilesn heUKwhoopposedhe ibyanegime,usannouncedthatany oliticalpponentf he ibyanGovernmentoulde liminated."irector-Generalmithawhis sanopportunityoremoveusaromheUK nd ollowingomecleveranoeuvringy heService'sxperi-encedfficers,usaas xpelled.For usa,near ecadefdiplomaticostsfollowed,ut e ontinuedo earnisrade

both sa brilliantoliticalegotiator,anipu-lator, nd nntelligenceollectornd lanner.In1988,ollowingariouspatsetweenheWestin articularthenitedtates),nintricateSO perationesultedn hePan matrocily.othMlS ndheFBIwere onvincedKusa asnvolvedomewherelongheine.He fcourseenieshis.By 990, ritishntelligencelso iscoveredthe SO as rminghe RAnNorthernlreland.eapons'ipelinesereinpointedthatwendedheir ayhroughhe orts fEuropeiaheMediterraneanea.houghMl5 ndMl6 umbledew, nderusa'swatchfulye ,ew hannelserereatedthroughuropehat amperedhe ervicesattemptso stophearms nd xplosiveslow.Theresabsolutelyodoubtha t ombsuiltcontainingemtexuppliedy he S0, ereusednvariouserroristoerationshatresultedn atalities.In1992, usa as ewardedith seniordiplomaticositionDeputyinisterfForeignffairs. owever,t washis hands-on"ove ffair ithheworl( J

ColonelGaddafiwasnevergoing oslip awayquietlywithouta fightthatesultednhim einglacedt he earto{Coloneladdafi'segime.n1994 ewaschosens he ewDirectorf he S0. ynowhe rganisationad nhancedtsreoutationsone f hemostearedntelli-genceervicesn heworld.rtr

supporters' outside heLibyan Embassyin London

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worldecomingver oreegitimate.esregardeds he rimaryarchitect"fLibya's"rehabilitation"ackntohenternationalcommunity.ike im0r oathe im,Ml5andMl6 ecognisedewasn eality,he eyesand ars" fGaddafihe ntryointo hesecret nvironmenthich ad llowed addafito ule verhe eoplefLibyaor30 ears.And owhennopportunityresentedtself(thenterceptionf heBBCChina)ostart

new hantern relationsetweenheWest ndLibya, usa as ey andMl6knewt. Libyapaidompensationo he ictimsf heLockerbieffair,overtgreementsawmuchcooperationn ecurityincludingheightagainstl-Oaida.tseemsikelys he ecadeprogressed,he amef he nlySO gentjailedor he ockerbiencidentamep nconversationsAl-Megrahi).hereeremeetingsn Londonnd eyondof hat ewdoubt.n2008 over-lappingnto2009, usametwith cottishfficials.aterhat ear etravelledo heUK gainnot n heguisefDirectorf he SObutlaggedsMinisterofSecuriiy'they re ne ndhe ame.

Fast-forwardo he eginningf201 ,andheripplesfchangehich ontinueoexpandntheMiddleast.nce ibyansn he asternpart f he ountryegano callor egimechange,usa'sas tntelligencend oliticalexoerienceold im hiswas erious.nitialattemptso calmhe ituationailed,nd esensedhiswas he eginningf he ndorColoneladda{i.espiteallso heUK ,FrancendheUnitedtates,usaecognisedGaddafias solated.ith UNResolutionandhe nforcementfa no-flyoneonebackedypowerfulnfluentialrab ations,Kusa sed llhis ast vailableontactsnLondonnd lsewhereomake ismove...

COVERTORYND LIGHTFROMRIPOLIn27Marchusaubmittedistravel l ingcheduleoColonelGaddafi,s ar sTripoliasconcerned,he xperiencedegotia-torwas singisBritishntelligenceiaisonsto make ontacl ithLondonn hehope f anegotiatedettlement.uchscenarioadbeen idelyeportedn heBritishressaysearlierthatnformationas robablylanted).

At hisuncture,tseemsnconceivableha tM16 ere otprivyohisactualntentionsajourneyoLondonnd scaperom ibya.Kusa nd isdriver rossedheborderycarto heTunisianapital unis, ourneyhichwouldaveakenrmhroughhewellguardedndmonitoredas jdarordercrossing.is rrivalas otedesultingnaContinuedn

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MusaKusamanaged o gain credibil-ity on the international tage,despiteorganisationsuchas MIGan d heCIAcompiling roublesome ossierson the Libyanspymaster $il|.I.I.AYITI|OIIEOREAIAKusaxposesSOgentsinUnited ingdomours eforeusausa'slightoBritain,he oreignfficen-nouncedt wasexpellingiveLibyandiplomatsromtsLondonmbassy,includingibya'silitaryttache.ManyntelligenceatcherselievetwasKusa imselfho ad uppliedhe amesfth e eoplen heF0 ist.M1 5sanctioned"heremovalf h emen, fter upportingheconclusionsfasecret emoha t tatedhey"couldose hreatosecurity."

Indeed,ne f he diplomats"sbelievedobehead fJSO perationsn heUK, ndMt 5fearede ould e nstrumentalncreatingtroublen he treetsfLondon,rworse...Foreignecretaryilliamagueas old yM15ha the ndividualsereclose"oGaddafi.he ealitys, wowere SOhroughandhrough.ou r f he iplomatseft orTripolilong ithheir ependantsJterivedays. owever,ifthofficialemainsn hecountryat ime fpublication).Th e S0 ubmitseportsoGaddafi'searedRevolutionaryouncilhich 16ecognisesposesmajorhreatn oreignountries.

Eye pyntelligenceourceselievene f hemensAbdulrahmanwessi.ewas ibya'sConsul-GeneralnScotlandt heime henLockerbieomberbdelbasetlMegrahiasservingis entencen he ountry.fter lMegrahi'seleaseollowingrotractedundercoveriaisonsith ibyanfficials,Swessias ostedoLondon.Anumberfpoliticaliguresttachedoanti-GaddafiroupsnLondonlaim lS ncov-eredlotsoconductssassinationperationsin hecity.Gumal-Gamaty,ondonpokes-manorhe ibyanppositions nsistentLondon-basedSO nithas rawnoa istoftargets.lreportedhemo he olice,"aid l-Gamaty.Theyre ardlineoyalistshoookordersromTripoli.hey anto killpeopleikeme...hey re pyingn he pposition."

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TunisianeporteleasedhroughheTuniAfriquePress.tsimplytated rKusa ad rrivedororrvatealks. l6andheCIAwere ell warethathiswas nothereneratedovertory.0n30March,ollowingecretegotiationsithLondonnd oreignfficefficials,privateSwiss-registerederoplaneas rganisedo lyKusaromDjerbairport.his ubsequentlylandedt heormer AFtationFarnboroughAirfield.s arasGaddafi'snnerircleereconcerned,hisourneyas til legiiimatend

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Musa Kusa's friend - NomanBenotman (inset) said Kusa'sjourney to England was honourable12APRIL 01 1 MusaKusa lewou tof theUK o Qatar.Herehe reportedlymet withrebel eaderswithin he LibyanContactGroup', hisas nternationaleaders romacross he worldgathered.His lightaway rom he shoresof the UKwas metwith muchsuspicionby relativesof theLockerbie ombing nd otherLibyan-relatederror ncidents.No-one eallyknows f Kusawill eversetfoot n he UKagain though t s doubtful.However, uringhis iveweekor so stay nBritain,Kusadid providean incredibleamountof information boutColonelGaddafi'segime.

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Saif l-lslam,on fLibyaneader oloneladdaliost ismostrustedduisorYoussefawani ho ecidedo eaveouernment.l-lslamauseduchontrovetsylast ear hen e laimedormer K remierony lair as ow n advisor"oLibyaWPC Yonneletcherutsidehe ibyanEmbassynLondonn1984. therationsil linevitablyantoquestionusaboutncidentsattributedo he SOn hirtyearsfcovertoperations,ncludinghe ombingfaGermannightclubnBedin986.Despiteusa'sdefection'eingailedsa bitterblow0Coloneladdafi,isbrief ppearancenLondonay et roveobeproblematic.However,e eallyoes oldhe eyomanyunanswereduestionselatedo hemenacingand ltraecretorld f he S0.

MostWawenryevenearsago,JSO unmanleanedut f hewindowf heLibyanEmbassynLondon,nd hotdeadyoungnarmedritish

policewoman.er ame asYvonneletchel5.Theincidentappeneduringdemonstraiionndedoa ongandensetand-0ffetweencounter-terroristfficers ndhediplomaticorpnsidehebuilding.ltimatelyhe olicewere owerlessostopheembassytaffeavingnderheprotectionfdiplomaticimmunity.Forensicpecialistsecoveredfingerprintsromhewindowledgend t eastwoeyewitnessesamedheman hothey awn hewindow.ev"Scotlandardas everivenuphopefbringingobookhe

cold loodedurderer.owstrangerhingsave appenedin he istoryf his amouspoliceorce,ut ll heseearslater,ndoutsideremotearmin arawayibya,Gaddafi

intelligenceontact an asendeavouringo brokerdealwith ebelsndoinhem saspokespersonthisna bid osave is wnife. heighterswere avingone f t. However,it urns ut heman as marAhmedodaniprimeuspectin heWPC letcherase.Khalidlsahly,ightern herebeland hichetainedheformer addafienchmanaid:"Whenhe imes ight, ewillfacehe roperegalrocess."Fo r is art, odanilaimsewas otn he mbassyt hetime nd e s nnocent.Eye py nderstandshe ebelshaveassedignifcantintelligencenSodanioMl6.Thoughith o egalindingiesbetweenibyand ritain,tstillremainsnclearfhewill ver esento heUK.

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