Saif al-Qaddafi’s journalists arrested

There’s a lot missing from this account of the recent arrest and release of a group of 20 journalists in Libya, but it’s going to lead to a lot of speculation about the future plans of the Qaddafi family: 

The arrested journalists work for a media group founded by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, a reform-minded son of the Libyan leader. He is seen as a possible successor to his father but has been waging a turf war against powerful conservatives.

Libya Press news agency, part of the son’s Al Ghad media group, issued a statement saying the arrested reporters had been released. It had said yesterday that the internal security agency had detained 20 of its journalists.

"Libya Press contacted all its released journalists and contributors … and congratulated them," the agency said in a statement posted on its website. "(Libya Press) hopes that an instruction by leader Muammar Gaddafi to open an investigation into the case of their detention will be implemented," it said.

There’s still no official explanation for the arrest but authorities also suspended printing of another of group’s newspapers last week. Given that Qaddafi père has been willing to threaten the abolishment of Switzerland to protest his son Hannibal’s arrest on drunk and disorderly charges, it seems awfully gutsy for hard-liners to be picking a fight with Saif, thought to be the chosen successor. This one is going to get interesting.