The international criminal court is set to open an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Libya after its chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, decided there is sufficient evidence against the Gaddafi regime to press ahead.

The ICC's announcement, expected on March 3 at The Hague, that it is to launch a full investigation into the bloody crackdown in Libya marks an important step in the court's growing power since it began hearings under the Treaty of Rome in 2002. It is the first time the US government has openly backed the court, and only the second time, after Darfur in Sudan, that a case has been initiated by the UN security council.

The court will have two months to prepare an initial report to the UN security council. After that, ICC judges will decide whether or not to issue arrest warrants, The Guardian reports.