Timbuktu damage goes to court

Prosecutors will seek to convince three judges they have enough evidence to try man for war crimes

Prosecutors on Tuesday will unveil charges against an alleged al-Qaeda-linked Islamist accused of destroying monuments at the fabled city of Timbuktu in an unprecedented case before the world's only permanent war crimes court.

Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi will be the first jihadist to appear before the International Criminal Court, and the first person in its dock facing war crimes charges for allegedly ordering an attack on a historic monument.