Sudan ponders response to arrest attempt

KHARTOUM, Sudan, June 9 (UPI) -- The Sudanese government says it plans unspecified "action" against an international prosecutor over a failed plan to arrest an accused war criminal.

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has issued an arrest warrant for Ahmad Harun, Sudan's minister of Humanitarian Affairs, whom he accuses of war crimes in Darfur, including allegedly arranging the deaths of 200 people and 10 rapes.

The ICC said Friday an effort by Moreno-Ocampo to arrest Harun by diverting his plane bound for the annual Hajj pilgrimage in December failed when Harun heard about the plan and left the aircraft before it took off. That prompted Sudanese officials to formulate a "strong response," the Sudan Tribune reported Monday.

Sudanese U.N. Ambassador Abdel-Mahmood Mohamad was reported as saying that government agencies are reviewing the ICC revelations about the attempted plane diversion and are formulating a response but, the newspaper said, Mohamad didn't elaborate on what steps may be taken against Moreno-Ocampo.