A man accused of taking part in the war crime of destroying religious monuments, during civil strife in Mali, has arrived in The Hague to stand trial at the International Criminal Court.
Ahmad al-Mahdi al-Faqi is charged with the destruction of nine mausoleums and a mosque in Timbuktu in 2012.
In a statement released on Saturday, the ICC said it was the first case to be brought before the court "concerning the destruction of buildings dedicated to religion and historical monuments".
Mr al-Faqi was a member of Ansar Dine, a group affiliated with Al Qaeda which was in control of large swathes of land in northern Mali in 2012, before being ousted by French troops.
The armed group destroyed many historic mosques and mausoleums, and burnt tens of thousands of ancient manuscripts.
