The Libyan government says former leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saadi, has been extradited from Niger and is now in custody in Tripoli.

Pictures posted on the internet apparently showed him having his head and beard shaved.

Saadi Gaddafi fled after his father was killed in the 2011 revolution.

He is accused of shooting protesters and other crimes during his father's rule, when he was head of Libya's special forces.

The Libyan government made an announcement about Saadi Gaddafi's extradition in a short statement early on Thursday.

"The Libyan government received today Saadi Gaddafi and he arrived in Tripoli," it said.

Niger had previously refused Libyan requests to extradite him, with the justice minister saying he was "certain to face the death penalty".

In 2012, Interpol issued a "red notice", obliging member countries to arrest him.

Saadi Gaddafi had reportedly resided in a state guesthouse in Niger's capital, Niamey, after fleeing across the Sahara Desert.

He is best known for a brief career in top-flight Italian football which was cut short by a failed drugs test, as well as his playboy lifestyle.