Anti-Gaddafi fighters stand guard as they gather in Al-Noflea to prepare for a sweep of the area for pro-Gaddafi forces
Anti-Gaddafi fighters stand guard as they gather in Al-Noflea to prepare for a sweep of the area for pro-Gaddafi forces, about 450 km (280 miles) west of Benghazi, September 4, 2011. Reuters

Interpol has issued a 'Red Notice' for deposed Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi, as well as Gadhafi's son Saif Al-islam Gadhafi and former director of military intelligence Abdullah Al-Senussi.

All three men are wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges related to the shooting of unarmed protestors in February.

Interpol, an international police organization, issued the notice at the request of I.C.C. prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. The Red Notice is the most serious of seven different notices, and is the closest instrument to an international arrest warrant in use today.

The Red Notice will alert police bureaus around the globe that Gadhafi is to be held immediately if seen. If caught, Gadhafi and the two other men could be extradited to The Hague, Holland, where trial proceedings would begin.

As far as INTERPOL's General Secretariat headquarters is concerned, Moammar Gadhafi is a fugitive whose country of nationality and the International Criminal Court want arrested and held accountable for the serious criminal charges that have been brought against him, said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

INTERPOL will cooperate with and assist the ICC and Libyan authorities represented by the Interim Transitional National Council of Libya to apprehend Moammar Gadhafi.

Gadhafi's whereabouts are currently unknown, but he is thought to still be hiding somewhere in Libya.

However, the whereabouts of a group of high-ranking Gadhafi loyalists is known. At least 14 officials from the Gadhafi regime have arrived in Niger's northern city of Agadez, about half way between the Libyan border and Burkina Faso.

The group arrived in four four-wheel-drive vehicles on Thursday afternoon, a source told Reuters.

The convoy is thought to include four senior officials, including Libya's former air force commander, Ali Sharif al-Rifi. The men are thought to be staying in the Etoile du Tenere hotel, which is thought to be owned by Gadhafi.

Earlier this week, there were reports that security brigade chief and Gadhafi's cousin, Mansour Dhao, had entered Niger, perhaps en route to Burkina Faso. The flight of high-profile Libyan figures is further proof that Gadhafi's grip on the country is drastically, if not permanently, weakened.

Rebels have control of most of Libya, with the exception on the city of Bani Walid, where pro-Gadhafi forces are still strong.