Mystery of British woman linked to Gaddafi's doomed getaway as it emerges son Saif 'is hiding in Sahara'

Nairobi-based Briton works for multinational oil firm
She was asked to recruit mercenaries for Libya mission
Claims she has never had contact with Gaddafi family
and didn't know why South African troops were needed

Last updated at 5:49 PM on 3rd November 2011

A British woman working for a multinational oil company has revealed she was asked to recruit mercenaries to take part in an operation to rescue Muammar Gaddafi, it emerged today.

Sarah Penfold, who is of Kenyan descent and works in security, claimed her brief was to round up a team of South African 'soldiers of fortune' as revolutionary forces closed in on the now-deceased Libyan tyrant, the Independent reported.

When Gaddafi was captured and killed last month as he tried to escape the city of Sirte he was accompanied by South African mercenaries.

Meanwhile, the dictator's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is thought to have disappeared into the Sahara Desert accompanied by mercenaries recruited at the same time.

Revolutionary fighters inspect a storm drain where Muammar Gaddafi was found last month. A British woman working for a multinational oil company claims she was asked to recruit mercenaries to join an operation to rescue the Libyan tyrant

When Gaddafi was captured and killed last month as he tried to escape the city of Sirte he was accompanied by South African mercenaries

It is feared he could remain hidden for months as the International Criminal Court and Libya's new rulers argue about who should try him.

Based in Nairobi, Ms Penfold - an 'executive protection and security specialist' - has frequently been associated with private forces working in Africa.

She denies ever having had any contact with the Gaddafi family.

According to the Independent, she told an acquaintance in South Africa: 'I was asked by a friend to get some guys together to do private security detail and training in Libya for a well known oil company to protect their assets and personnel.

'I sent an email round asking guys to go for an interview and forward it to others. That's all.'

But it is thought that some of these mercenaries went on to take part in assisting Gaddafi in his unsuccessful attempt to flee Libya.

At least two were killed, and several injured, when Gaddafi's convoy was attacked by a Nato air strike, before the dicatator was pursued by rebel forces on the ground.

Meanwhile, the hunt continues for Saif Gaddafi, who is thought to be hiding out in the border region of Chad, Niger and Algeria.

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Nothing has been heard of Saif since sources said almost a week ago that Tuareg nomads were escorting him and that he was close to the Mali border.

Mali legislator Ibrahim Ag Mohamed indicated Saif is not in Mali or Niger.

He could be feeding disinformation as he considers his options out in the desert that is impossible to police and favoured by other outlaws like drug dealers and Al-Qaeda fighters.

Various sources indicate he could be plotting a counter-revolution, scheming about a getaway to a friendly country, or negotiating his surrender.

Exact whereabouts unknown: Saif Gaddafi is thought to have disappeared into the Sahara Desert accompanied by mercenaries recruited by the British woman

Saif and his late father's former chief of military intelligence, Abdullah al-Senoussi, have reportedly been travelling in separate convoys escorted by Tuaregs, who understand best how to survive in the desert.

Loyalty to the ethnic group trumps nationality, and the Tuareg's traditional stomping grounds stretch across North Africa, from Morocco and Algeria to Libya and south-west to Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad.

Saif and al-Senoussi are both wanted by the ICC for allegedly organising and ordering attacks in Libya that killed civilians during the revolt.

More than a dozen countries in Africa do not recognise the international court, but even some that do ignore its arrest warrants amid criticism that the Hague-based court goes after a disproportionate number of Africans.

Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, wanted for genocide and war crimes committed in Darfur, attended a conference in Malawi last month with no problem, though Malawi is a member of the ICC.

In the area where Saif is believed hiding, only Algeria is not a signatory.
Algeria was a staunch supporter of Muammar Gaddafi and has given refuge to his wife, a daughter and two other sons, but now is trying to establish ties with Libya's new leaders.