Mr. Senussi, a man with jet-black curly hair and small, deep-set eyes, talked about the need for reform in Libya and said the government was interested in change, but he also leveled subtle but clear threats, Mr. Mehiri says.

WSJ: Censorship Inc.: Life Under the Gaze of Gadhafi's Spies

The man himself was a jet-setting playboy who rarely met the David Ogilvy standards of a great leader.

ECONOMIST: Idea

The jet had the same designation -- Flight 253 -- as the one on which a Nigerian man is accused of attempting to set off an explosive device Friday, said Scott Wintner, a spokesman for the Wayne County Airport Authority.

CNN: New Detroit scare declared 'nonserious'