Interpol issues Orange Notice for Gadhafi

LYON, France, March 4 (UPI) -- The international police force said from France it issued an Orange Notice against the Gadhafi regime in Libya for its involvement in attacking civilians.

Interpol said it issued the notice against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and 15 members of his regime to warn member states of the danger surrounding their movement and their assets.

"The individuals subject to the Orange Notice have been identified as being involved in or complicit in planning attacks, including aerial bombardments, on civilian populations," the notice read.

International legal pressure is mounting on Gadhafi as the crisis in Libya verges on the brink of civil war. Al-Jazeera reports Friday at least 30 civilians were killed when Gadhafi forces tried to take control of Az Zawiyah, a town close to Tripoli that is said to be in rebel hands.

Conservative estimates put the death toll in Libya at more than 1,000 and tens of thousands of people are streaming across the border to Egypt and neighboring Tunisia.

The U.N. Security Council last week passed Resolution 1970 that opens the door to international proceedings against possible war crimes committed by the Gadhafi regime. The International Criminal Court this week said it was opening an investigation into alleged atrocities committed in Libya.

Gadhafi remains defiant though several parts of the country are under the control of rebel forces.

Washington and many of its Western allies maintain all options remain on the table when dealing with the Libyan crisis though a no-fly zone is currently not a measure widely supported.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the leader's son, said in an interview with London's pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that media reports coming out of the country were "garbage."

"I would say that more than 90 percent of the country is fine," he added.