21.40 Telegraph blogger Nile Gardiner has written a blog
post on Gaddafi's death: With the death of Mad Dog Gaddafi, other dictators
will sleep less easily tonight.
He writes that Gaddafi's demise shows the fragility of
totalitarian regimes around the world, with his downfall acting as a warning to
other despots that their actions come at a price:
I imagine that a number of other dictators across the
world will be sleeping a little less easily tonight. Among them, Bashar
al-Assad and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Just a year ago, Gaddafi appeared to be in a
formidable position.
Today he was hunted down like a rodent after his regime
crumbled with astonishing speed. Similarly Saddam Hussein believed he was
invincible, until American and British tanks rolled into Baghdad and Basra and
taught his Baathist regime a sharp lesson in global power.
Today Libya’s people can fully rejoice in their freedom.
Let’s hope that later this decade the people of Syria, Iran, and the world’s
other major tyrannies can do the same.
21.32 More information is emerging on the death of
Mutassim, Gaddafi's fifth son, whose body has been laid out in a private house
in Misrata.
A Reuters reporter in the house said the army officer's
body had been laid out on blankets on the floor and covered up to the waist by
a blue plastic sheet. Wounds could be seen to his chest and neck.
Members of the public, taking pictures on their mobile
phones, were gathered around the body shouting: "God is great" and
"This is the end of the tyrant".
Mutassim Gaddafi, Gaddafi's fifth son, pictured some
months ago (AFP)
21.24 A Reuters reporter has seen the corpse of Colonel
Gaddafi's son Mutassim in Misrata, Reuters says.
He has told the news organisation that local people are
queueing up to take photographs of his body on their mobile phones.
21.21 Mahmud Jabril, Libya's interim PM, is speaking
about the former dictator's death.
He claims Gaddafi "did not resist" when he was
captured hiding in the sewer, adding:
When he was found, he was in good health, carrying a gun.
He was alive up to last moment, until he arrived at hospital.
21.07 This video just in from Manchester, where exiled
Libyans are celebrating Gaddafi's death:
21.02 The Libyan Prime Minister has cited a forensic
report which he claims is confirmation that:
• Gaddafi died from a bullet wound to the head
• The former dictator was shot in crossfire between NTC
fighters and his own supporters
• He died a few minutes before reaching the hospital in
Misrata
• Gaddafi was alive when his captors put him in a car to
evacuate him from Sirte
None of this has been confirmed by other sources.
AFP is also reporting that Libyan television is showing
video footage of revolutionary forces posing with Gaddafi's body.
20.56 The NTC has said that no order was given to kill
Colonel Gaddafi, who they claim died when a gunfight broke out after his
capture between his supporters and government fighters.
Speaking at a news conference in Tripoli, the officials
said Libya's liberation would be officially announced in Benghazi on Saturday.
They confirmed that one of Gaddafi's sons, Mutassim, had
been killed and his body taken to Misrata, but said they did not know whether
another son, Saif al-Islam, had been killed.
20.43 Twitter user @feb17libya has been posting a series
of cartoons to commemorate Gaddafi's death, including this one from the Crimes
of Gaddafi exhibition in Benghazi. He writes:
Gaddafi called us Libyans 'rats' - look who's had their
date with fate.
A cartoon of the former dictator from the Crimes of
Gaddafi exhibition in Benghazi
20.35 Egypt's government has expressed its support for
the NTC after the fall of Gaddafi, saying it hopes today's events will
"open a new chapter" for the country.
Meanwhile, celebrations continue outside Libyan embassies
across the world. This image from Tunis shows an injured anti-Gaddafi fighter
celebrating the dictator's death.
20.25 A US predator drone hit Gaddafi's convoy along with
the French fighter jet, AFP is reporting.
French defence minister Gerard Longuet revealed earlier
that a French warplane had fired a warning shot to halt the dictator's convoy
as he tried to flee Sirte.
An anonymous US defence official said the American drone
hit "the same convoy" as the French jet, but could not confirm that
Gaddafi was in the vehicle that was hit.
20.13 More on that Nato statement, which comes from Nato
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen:
After 42 years, Colonel Qadhafi's rule of fear has
finally come to an end. Libya can draw a line under a long dark chapter in its
history and turn over a new page. Now the people of Libya can truly decide
their own future.
I call on all Libyans to put aside their differences and
work together to build a brighter future. I urge the National Transitional
Council to prevent any reprisals against civilians and to show restraint in
dealing with defeated pro-Qadhafi forces.
Nato and our partners have successfully implemented the
historic mandate of the United Nations to protect the people of Libya. We will
terminate our mission in coordination with the United Nations and the National
Transitional Council. With the reported fall of Bani Walid and Sirte, that
moment has now moved much closer.
20.06 The NTC may not make a statement on the liberation
of Libya until tomorrow or Saturday, BBC News is reporting.
The transitional government had been expected to
formalise the death of Colonel Gaddafi with a statement at some point this
evening, but the latest reports suggest we may not hear anything tonight.
19.56 Another update from Telegraph reporter Damien
McElroy who is on his way to Sirte.
Damien has now arrived in Zawiya, where he says the
celebrations continue with people slaughtering sheep and camels in the street.
Towns and villages are filled with jubilant Libyans celebrating the death of
the former dictator.
One engineer from the town told him everybody would be
rejoicing all night. 'There's nobody left at home tonight,' he said.
19.48 Here's a round-up of some of the main points made
by President Obama in response to Gaddafi's death:
• He said "the dark shadow of tyranny has been
lifted" from the Libyan people, proving that "the rule of an iron
fist inevitably comes to an end".
• The president praised the revolutionary forces,
delivering a harsh warning to other dictatorial leaders. "Those leaders
who try to deny their dignity will not succeed," he said.
• He called on the NTC to cooperate with the United
States and its allies to track down munitions that went missing during the
revolution.
• President Obama urged Libyans to shoulder the
responsibility of building an "inclusive and tolerant and democratic
Libya".
• Finally, he remembered all those who had fallen victim
to Gaddafi's regime, both in Libya and across the world. He paid tribute to the
Americans who were killed in terror attacks orchestrated by the former
dictator, including the Lockerbie bombing of 1988.
19.40 Conflicting reports continue to emerge about the
fate of Gaddafi's son Saif.
Earlier sources said he had been wounded and was taken to
hospital in Misrata. But Interpol and the ICC have just issued this statement,
urging Saif al-Islam to give himself up and face justice:
Colonel Kadhafi will not be able to answer to the crimes
levelled against him which makes it even more important that those who were
part of his inner circle and who remain at large are captured and face their
accusers so that the rule of law can run its course.
19.32 Nato has told Reuters they will end the Libyan mission.
The Libyan "rule of fear" is finally over, it
said, urging Libyans to put aside their differences Nato said the mission will
be brought to an end in coordination with the UN and NTC.
More on this as we get it.
19.22 The Telegraph's foreign affairs correspondent
Damien McElroy his making his way from the Tunisian/Libyan border to Sirte. He
has sent us this report after speaking to Libyans about the former dictator's
death:
'We're very very happy. Its good. When I left libya just
three nights ago there was danger everywhere,' said Tarek Bishi, a Tripoli.
'Life can be better without the tyrant. I will go now to Green Square and
celebrate all night.'
'Everything will be brilliant in Libya - at last we are
free,' said Ahmed Tarhouni, from central Libya. 'There is nothing to fear now
because the people of Britain and France stood by us.'
'Gaddafi was the only problem we faced,' said Khalid
Ramadan, from the Nafusa mountains in western Libya. 'The whole country is free
at last.'
19.20 The Vatican has recognised the NTC as the
"legitimate representative of the Libyan people" following Gaddafi's
death, AFP is reporting.
In an official statement, Vatican representatives said:
"The death of Kadhafi brings to an end the long and
tragic phase in the bloody fight to beat a hard and oppressive regime."
19:08 US President Barack Obama is now giving a press
conference in Washington. He says:
Inoocent civilians were detained, beaten and killed. The
country's wealth was squandered and terror used as a political weapon. But one
of the world's longest surving dictatoprs is no more. A year ago the notion of
a free Libya seemed impossible.
The Libyan people now have a great reponsibility to build
a democratic Libya that stands as the ultimate rebuke of Gaddafi's
dictatorship. We call on our Libyan friends to work with the international
community. We are under no illusions, there will be difficult days ahead, but
the US, along with the international community, are committed to the Libyan
people. Today proves the rule of an iron fist inevitably comes to an end.
18:58 Muammar Gaddafi called the rebels who rose up
against his 42-years of one-man rule "rats," but in the end it was he
who was captured cowering in a drainage pipe full of rubbish and filth.
"He called us rats, but look where we found
him," said Ahmed Al Sahati, a 27-year-old government fighter, standing
next to two stinking drainage pipes under a six-lane highway.
He is said to have hid in the storm drain to escape
capture from NTC forces.
18:53 Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has welcomed
the news of the dictator's death, arguing his demise and that of Saddam Hussein
were "proof of the potential of the people."
"We congratulate our Libyan brothers and the
(National) Transitional Council on the occasion of getting rid of the tyrant
Kadhafi, who ran Libya for four decades filled with oppression," Maliki's
office said in a statement.
"The similarity of the fate of tyrants in Iraq and
Libya and elsewhere is proof of the potential of the people to defeat
dictators, however long they have been in power."
18:47 American photojournalist Holly Pickett claims to
have seen Gaddafi rushed to hospital in an ambulance with revolutionary forces.
In her account:
I saw the body of Col. Muammar #Gaddafi. So weird. We
were in a residential area behind the field hospital. Suddenly an ambulance
races by with the body of #Gaddafi. We chased. The ambulance with #Gaddafi's
body stopped very briefly at the field hospital, then hit the highway for
Misrata. 10 Revolutionaries were packed inside. The doors were open, but it was
difficult to see #Gaddafi. We drove close to the open door. From the side door,
I could see a bare chest with bullet wound and a bloody hand. He was wearing
gold-colored pants. We fell back behind the ambulance and they opened rear the
door to reveal a partly bald, bloody head with frizzy black hair.
18:40 Assia Bashir Amry, a Libyan living in the US who
tweets under the name @Llibyan4life, says: "My friends and I are preparing
to hit the streets in celebration. Flags, balloons, drums--we're going big.
Kentucky wont know what hit it.
"Im so happy that today, this amazing day, Im
surrounded by the people I grew up with in resistance. Driving around honking
and waving the flag in the streets. Got a thumbs up!"
18:35 Al-Arabiya says the corpse of Gaddafi's son Saif
al-Islam has arrived at Misrata airport. This is unconfirmed at this stage.
18:34 AP quoting French Defence Chief sa saying a French
fighter jet fired on the convoy carrying Gaddafi.
18:26 Vice President Joe Biden has said the Libyan people
have rid their country of a dictator and applauded the US role in the NATO
bombing campaign that helped lead to the death of Gaddafi.
"In this case, America spent $2 billion total and
didn't lose a single life. This is more of the prescription for how to deal
with the world as we go forward than it has been in the past," Biden said
18:25 This picture taken by revolutionary fighter purports
to show Gaddafi's dead body, with a bullet wound in his temple. It has been
reported he was shot once in the head and twice in the legs.
18:20 Political correspondent James Kirkup discusses how
Gaddafi's death could prove to be a personal victory for David Cameron, who has
now had more despots fall under his watch than most other recent prime
ministers.
In one sense, this changes nothing about the politics of
Mr Cameron's decision to intervene in Libya: Mr Cameron and his allies already
considered themselves to have been vindicated by the fall of the Gaddafi
regime; the dictator's death only underlines the point.
I wonder whether the greatest impact of this death could
be psychological, and personal. The hard fact is that Col Gaddafi would still
be alive today if Mr Cameron, alongside Nicolas Sarkozy, had not acted as they
did. Political power offers many unique experiences, but few are as stark as
the feeling that you have helped bring about the death of another leader.
18:11 The national transitional council are now saying
the Gaddafi died on the way to hospital in Sirte; AP reports that a doctor who
was part of the medical team accompanying Gaddafi to hospital has said he died
from two bullet wounds to the head and chest.
18:10 A new detail to emerge about the showdown between
Gaddafi and his convoy and revolutionary fighters. Al-Arabiya are reporting
that a fighter has told them: "We did not know Gaddafi was there until he
shot at us first".
18:02 Telegraph reporter Damien McElroy is at the Libyan
border with Tunisia, he says hundreds of Libyans are heading home across the
Ras Djibir crossing to join in the celebrations.
Muammar Gaddafi's bloodied face on television provoked
cries of Allahu Akbar (God is Great).
News of the capture of regime henchmen including Mansour
Dao provoked disbelief that a hard core of the regime had lasted to the bitter
end in one place.
But the overwhelming emotion was relief and the feeling
that Col Gaddafis death had wiped away all troubles Libyans faced.
'I had a row with my wife yesterday but Gaddafi's death
has taken away all that bad feeling,' said Ahmed Sewehli, a former Manchester
resident now working as a psychiatrist in Misurata who travelled to the border.
"This is the news that all Libyans have been waiting for putting away the
uncertainty of what might happen if Gaddafi continues his campaign of revenge.
'Libyans can now focus on building a new Libya for all.'
17:52 The first picture to emerge of the dead dictator
was taken by AFP photographer Philippe Desmazes, who was able to take a photo
of a fighter's mobile’s screen a few minutes after the death and transmit the
picture. Poynter has this interview with him:
I was covering the fall of Sirte and heard gunfire a
little further west of where I was. The rebels explained to us that Kadhafi’s
men had tried to break out at night a little further west. There had been
fighting but this sounded more like celebrations than fighting.
So I asked the fighters to take me there. When I got
there, they showed me big concrete cylinders in which they said Kadhafi had
been hiding when he was captured.
A little further on, I noticed some fighters gathered
around a phone. I was lucky because I was the only one to notice them. The
owner of the phone showed me the arrest of Kadhafi which he had filmed a few
minutes earlier. Given the ambient light, it was very difficult to take a
screen grab. The fighters gathered round and gave me enough shadow to take the
shot. I was really lucky.
Here is that photo:
17:44 Rather disturbing video footage has emerged of the
fallen leader Gaddafi still alive after being cornered by revolutionary forces.
Although wounded, he seems to be able to talk and remonstrate with his captors
as they try to load him onto the back of a pick-up truck. These shaky images apparently
taken on a mobile phone seem to show the unaccounted for moments between his
capture in a storm drain and his death at the hands of gunmen. No images have
yet emerged of his actually being shot, in what his thought to have been an
execution-style killing.
17:32 Foreign Secretary William Hague has just spoken for
the first time since the news, he said he was very pleased Gaddafi had been
removed.
When questioned by a Sky reporter, he said he
"couldn't shed much light " on the order of events and whether NATO
intelligence, passed to the NTC, led the revolutionary forces to Gaddafi. He
said however, that it was "unlikely" this was the case:
When the uprising began, we didn't know how long this
would take. I think we feel vindicated all along as the country is now free to
become a free and fair democracy. We are very pleased that with Gaddafi has
been removed. There is work to be now to stabilise Libya and bring together
separate militias under the control of one governemnt. Once the liberation is
declared then there's 30 days to form a transitional government. We shoud be on
the optimistic side, but should not rule out further problems.
It could be a long job for the UK and our allies, but not
so much a military job now. Tripoli is not Baghdad.
17:26 The NTC have just sent the Telegraph an updated
list of people close to Gaddafi believed to have been killed today. It has the
list at:
- Mutassim Gaddafi, the colonel's fifth son, has been
killed and had been shot in the neck and cut his hand.
- Abu Bakr Younis, his former defence secretary, and two
of his sons: been killed.
- Ahmed Ibrahim, an aide to Gaddafi, has been captured.
- Mansour Dou, an aide,: has been captured.
All of them in their way to the city of Misurata now.
17:25 The bodies of suspected Gaddfi loyalists lie
outside the storm drains where Gadhafi was reportedly found in Sirte, AP
report. The concrete walls of the drains are spray-painted with graffiti and
the earth around them is dry.
17:20 It was reported earlier in a statement from Libya's
charge d'affaire in London (15:40) that several of Gaddafi's aides travelling
in his convoy at the time of the ambush were captured, it has now been
confirmed by the NTC that 17 have been taken by the forces and their names will
be made public tonight.
Forces fighting in Sirte shortly before its fall.
17:15 French President Nicolas Sarkozy has hailed the
death as a major step forward for the people of Libya and urged the country to
pursue democratic reforms. France took a leading role in the UN intervention in
Libya, strongly supporting a no-fly zone . He said:
The disappearance of Moamer Kadhafi is a major step
forward in the battle fought for more than eight months by the Libyan people to
liberate themselves from the dictatorial and violent regime imposed on them for
more than 40 years.
17:10 According to various reports from rebels, Gaddafi's
last words before he was shot were: "What do you want, what do you
want?"
16:55 The moment US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton,
learns the news of Gaddafi's death - on an aide's Blackberry. Almost the same
look as the picture of her in the Washington control room when Bin Laden was
shot dead by Navy Seals. She's heard saying "wow!"
16:47 The man on the right of the picture below is
20-year-old Mohammed el-Bibi, who is thought to have been the one who actually
killed Gaddafi in Sirte. it is thought he could claim the £1million reward that
had been put out on the despot's head.
Fighters hold what they claim to be the gold-plated gun
belonging to Col Gaddafi - Getty
16:40 Another relative of a victim of the Lockerbie
bombing, Kathy Tedeschi, whose first husband, Bill Daniels, was among the 270
people killed in the attack on PanAm Flight 103, said: "I hope he's in
hell with Hitler".
16:35 Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the 1988
Lockerbie bombing, tells Sky News Gaddafi's death means an "opportunity
has been lost" to find out the truth about the atrocity.
Speaking from Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, Dr
Swire told Sky News: "There is much still to be resolved about that issue
and Gaddafi, whether he was involved or not, might have been able to clear up a
few points about that and now that he is dead we may have lost an opportunity
for getting nearer to the truth.
I would have loved to have seen Gaddafi appear in front
of the International Criminal Court both to answer charges against his gross
treatment of his own people and of citizens murdered abroad by his thugs.
But I would also have loved to have heard about what
Gaddafi knew about the Lockerbie atrocity. But everybody looking at this
situation should be glad that it probably hails an end to the gross violence in
that country.
16:30 Our resident Middle East expert, Con Couglin, pulls
no punches, saying Gaddafi deserved his death in a Libyan sewer – he had all
the morality of a sewer rat. He writes:
I can't think of a better way for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi
to meet his end than to be gunned down in a Libyan sewer. It is a fitting end
to the career of a man who presided over one of the most murderous and violent
regimes of the modern age, and had all the morality of a sewer rat.
This was a man whose hands were drenched in the blood of
his innocent victims. We in Britain will remember his role in the 1988
Lockerbie bombing, which killed 270 people, and the stockpiles of Semtex
explosives he happily provided to the IRA, which accounted for the deaths and
maiming of hundreds more victims.
16:25 NTC latest: They confirm Gaddafi's son Mutassim is
dead, and say his other son Saif is desperately trying to flee the city:
"Saif al-Islam is trying to flee Sirte in a small convoy. Our fighters are
encircling them." says one senior military official.
16:22 The National Transitional Council declare Gaddafi
is dead:
16:20 UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon: This is only the
end of the beginning. the future will be full of challenges. Now is the time
for all Libyans to come together, combatants on all sides must lay down their
weapons to achieve peace."
He also said a new UN mission to Libya is on the ground
and ready to assist the people.
16:16 Jibril also called on neighbouring Algeria to hand
over members of Gaddafi's family who fled there in August. Two of Gaddafi's
sons, his daughter and his wife are known to be hiding out there.
16:15: Libya's de facto prime minister Mahmoud Jibril has
just addressed at a news conference in Tripoli, where he confirmed Gaddafi, who
ruled Libya for 42 years until August, had been killed after he was captured in
Sirte.
"We confirm that all the evils, plus Gaddafi, have
vanished from this beloved country. I think it's for the Libyans to realise
that it's time to start a new Libya, a united Libya, one people, one
future," he said.
16:10 Reuters are also reporting that Gaddafi's fifth son
Mutassim was killed while trying to fight off captors, according to an NTC
spokesman. It now appears that members of Gaddafi's loyal entourage were
ambushed ealry this morning in SIrte, with the Libyan charge d'affairs in London
suggesting up to 20 of the dictator's "senior supporters" have been
captured by revolutionary forces.
16:00 Sirte erupts in celebration as the city is
liberated and the dictator killed:
15:55 Labour leader Ed Miliband says the death of Gaddafi
marks the end of a tragic period in Libyan history. He has just released this
statement:
The death of Colonel Gaddafi marks the end of a tragic
period in Libyan history marked by brutality and repression.
I pay tribute to the Libyan people for standing up to the
former regime and seeking to define their own democratic destiny. We should be
proud of the support that our armed forces have given to that cause.
We should all hope that this day also marks the end of
the armed conflict and the start of a period of stability where we see a
transition to democratic government.
Britain should stand ready to continue to help the
National Transitional Council as it seeks to improve economic and social
conditions, ensure order and prepare for elections.
15:50 PM David Cameron, speaking outside No. 10,
confirmed and welcomed the news of Gaddafi's death, saying:
I think today is a day to remember all of Colonel
Gaddafi's victims, from those who died in connection with the Pan Am flight
over Lockerbie, to Yvonne Fletcher in a London street, and obviously all the
victims of IRA terrorism who died through their use of Libyan semtex. We should
also remember the many, many Libyans who died at the hands of this brutal dictator
and his regime.
People in Libya today have an even greater chance after
this news of building themselves a strong and democratic future. I am proud of
the role that Britain has played in helping them to bring that about and I pay
tribute to the bravery of the Libyans who helped to liberate their country. We
will help them, we will work with them and that is what I want to say today.
15:40 Libyan charge d'affair Mahmoud al-Naku is speaking
outside the Libyan Embassy iin London, he says:
A black era has come to an end forever, the Libyan people
are looking forward to a promising future where they finally start building
their free democractic state for which they have fought for eight months now.
Our people have paid a high price, about 40,000 martyrs have given their lives.
We appreciate the help of the international community to get rid of Gaddafi and
his crimes. It is not important whether he faces trial or whether he is alive
or dead.
I can confirm he is dead, and now the NTC will move him
to Misrata, where he killed many people. His end is in Misrata. They have
captured between 17 and 20 of his senior supporters.
15:38 Channel 4 News's Jonathan Rugman is reporting that
Gaddafi's son Saif has been killed:
@jrug Whitehall source: Seif al-Islam Gaddafi (once his
father's heir apparent) believed killed in NATO airstrike near Bani Walid a few
days ago.
15:35 Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, did not
go so far has to confirm his death, but has said: "If they [the NTC] know
that he is no longer a threat to them I think that will actually ease the
transition process to a new government."
15:33 Al-Jazeera Arabic reporting Gaddafi's corpse is now
in a mosque in Misrata.
15:32 Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril confirms
Gaddafi has been killed. He told a news conference in the capital Tripoli:
"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Moammar Gadhafi has
been killed."
15:30 WARNING: GRAPHIC: Video claiming to show the body
of Colonel Gaddafi being kicked through the streets after reportedly being
killed by revolutionary forces:
15:25 Al-Jazeera Arabic are running this photo which
purports to show the dead body of Abu Bakar Yunis, Gaddafi's military chief who
was reportedly killed in a strike today in SIrte.
15:22 Latest from the NTC: "They after taking
Gaddafi's body to Misrata. The NTC will make a statement giving details of his
death," says information minister Mahmoud Shammam.
15:15 Senior British Government sources have told the
Telegraph's Security Correspondent Duncan Gardham that they believe Gaddafi is
dead.
15:13 Sky News has translated the graffiti on the drain
where Gaddafi was reportedly found. It says:
"This is the place where the rat Gaddafi was
hiding", and: "Contemptible Gaddafi"
15:07 The clearest photo so far to emerge has been
released by news agency Reuters, which purports to show Gaddafi heavily wounded
after being shot by revolutionary fighters
15:05 Revolutionary forces can be seen chanting: "We
did it! We did it!" as they become overcome with emotion, exchanging
well-wishes, hugs and handshakes against a backdrop of intense celebratory
gunfire.
"We finished Kadhafi and his people," shouts
fighter Ali Urfulli. "We have taken revenge. Let him go to hell."
15:02 Senior US Senator John McCain has that the death of
Gaddafi marks the end of "the first phase" of Libya's revolution and
called for closer ties between Washington and Tripoli.
"The death of Moamer Kadhafi marks an end to the
first phase of the Libyan revolution. While some final fighting continues, the
Libyan people have liberated their country," the Republican lawmaker said
in a statement.
14:44 Pan-Arab TV station Al-Arabiya cites a Libyan
military leader saying several images of Gaddafi will be "broadcast
shortly".
14:43 Government fighters in Sirte hold what they claim
to be the gold-plated gun belonging to Col Gaddafi (reported at 13:02) The
picture is reminicent of those which showed rebel forces posing with war booty
from his compound in Tripoli a few months earlier.
.14:34 Let's recap all reports of deaths and captures.
Just to be clear, none have yet been independently verified:
Muammar Gaddafi: Dead - NTC officials
Mutassim Gaddafi, Col Gaddafi's fifth son: Dead - NTC
officials
Moussa Ibrahim, Gaddafi's spokesman: Captured - NTC
officials
Abu Bakr Yunis, former defence minister: Killed in
Gaddafi's convoy - NTC officials
Ahmed Ibrahim, Gaddafi's cousin and adviser: Captured. -
Mlegta.
Mansour Daw, Gaddafi aide: Captured. - Libya TV
14:33 Sky News is reporting that his best-known son,
Saif, who was wrongly reported as captured earlier in the year, is still at
large in the southern Libyan desert.
14:28 Mutassim, the fifth son of Gaddafi and a former
Libyan Army officer, has been found dead in Sirte, according to NTC commander
on AFP.
14:25 Libyan NTC military official confirms photo of
apparently dead man shown on TV networks was that of Muammar Gaddafi.
14:20 Our Middle East correspondent Richard Spencer says
Al-Hurra TV (Freedom TV), the TV station set up in Qatar by rebels early on in
the uprising, is reporting that the former Libyan leader's son Mutassim Gaddafi
has been captured in Sirte.
It wouldn't be the first time that he has been reported
taken, so it is worth being cautious. But rebels always said he was there, and
it would make sense. Mutassim was the rival to Saif al-Islam as a future
successor to his father, and was his National Security Adviser. A photo of him
meeting Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, a couple of years back was
among the more memorable images of the Mafia-like appearances the family liked
to don.
14:15 Our reporter in Sirte, Ben Farmer, is thought to be
the only Western newspaper journalist who has been to the site Gaddafi was said
to have been captured, has this new detail:
Colonel Gaddafi was finally cornered in a drain
underneath a road in open countryside to the west of the city of Sirte. Rebels
said a column of vehicles tried to punch out of an encirclement at dawn. They
parked up around 3-4kms west of the town, which was hit by a NATO airstrike.
Gaddafi and several bodyguards were then forced to take refuge in the drain
where they were then captured and taken away by revolutionary forces.
14:03 NTC spokesman Abdel Hafez Ghoga says: "We
announce to the world that Kadhafi has been killed at the hands of the
revolution. It is an historic moment. It is the end of tyranny and
dictatorship. Kadhafi has met
his fate," he added.
14:00 PM David Cameron to give statement on reports of
Gaddafi's death imminently.
13:57 The revolutionary fighter who says he saw the
capture of Gaddafi tells Sky News he hit him with his shoe (one of the worst
insults in the Islamic faith).
13:54 NTC spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga also now confirming
the former leader's death.
13:52 If reports are found to be true that Gaddafi was
found in a hole underground in District 2 in his hometown of Sirte, the
similarities to the capture of Saddam Hussein are unavoidable. The Iraqi
dictator was discovered in a small, underground hole concealed next to farm
buildings near the his own hometown of Tikrit. He had been hiding out for
months with a handful of his most loyal aides.
13:47 If Gaddafi is dead, that solves the problem of the
trial – but we may never learn the truth about Lockerbie and other crimes,
writes Telegraph commentator Daniel Knowles:
If the reports of Gaddafi's death are true (and they may
not be: the US cannot even confirm his capture yet), it will make some things
easier between the Libyans and their Western allies. It solves the problem of
where he will be tried, and by whom. If he is still alive, we have months of
wrangling and undignified negotiation yet to come, and – notwithstanding the
assurances above – the prospect of a Saddam Hussein-style show trial. On the
other hand, if he is alive we also stand a greater chance of finally
establishing the truth about Lockerbie, the killing of WPc Yvonne Fletcher and
many other crimes. Either way, the end of this man's brutal dictatorship has
arrived, and not before time.
13:44 Official confirmation from NATO on an attack by
their aircraft on a pro-Gaddafi this morning: "At approximately 0830 local
time (GMT+2) today, NATO aircraft struck two pro-Kadhafi forces military
vehicles which were part of a larger group manoeuvring in the vicinity of
Sirte," spokesman Colonel Roland Lavoie said in a statement.
13:38 Telegraph Middle East correspondent Richard Spencer
says if the reports are true, Col Gaddafi has at least been true to his word:
he always said he would die on Libyan soil.
Credit where credit is due: Gaddafi had chutzpah, as we
knew, and showed it by placing himself like Napoleon at Waterloo at the heart
of the final battle. He also had courage - a mad courage, perhaps, but it must
have taken something for a 27-year-old to seize power for himself back in 1969
and he did not flinch at the end.
On the other hand, Gaddafi was also wrong about one
thing. Like many dictators, he reassured himself, when he was under attack from
western democratic leaders, that the political system they promoted ensured
their own political demise. Whatever they said about him didn't matter since
their electors would kick them out shortly anyway.
13:37 NTC official Mohamed Abel Kafi tells Reuters the
body of Gaddafi is now being taken to a secret location in Misrata for security
reasons. Again, not independently confirmed.
13:27 The following photograph purports to show Muammer
Gaddafi badly wounded and has been obtained by AFP news agency. The image has
been captured off a mobile phone camera by French photographer Philippe
Desmazes for Getty.
13:26 Gaddafi's killing came swiftly after his capture
near Sirte, Reuters reports:
He (Gaddafi) was also hit in his head. There was a lot of
firing against his group and he died.
13:25 A senior Obama administration official has said
that US authorities were trying to confirm whether the deposed Libyan leader
had been killed or captured.
13:18 Former state TV channel Al-Libiya has just run a
broadcast which said: "The reports peddled by the lackeys of NATO about
the capture or death of the brother leader, Moamer Kadhafi, are baseless.
Gaddafi is in good health."
13.14 Read a profile of the 'Mad Dog' dictator, who was
reportedly killed in Sirte today:
Branded "mad dog" by Ronald Reagan, the
outlandish antics, flamboyant dress and bombastic pronouncements of the
self-styled "Brother Leader" at times made him seem a figure of
ridicule.
During his travels abroad he was accompanied by a blonde
Ukrainian nurse and insisted on staying in his Bedouin tent, protected by his
team of glamorous, gun-toting female bodyguards.
13:12 NTC official Abdel Majid Mlegta has told Reuters
that Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn this morning as he
tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked.
"He was also hit in his head," the official
said. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died."
13:11 NTC Leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil is due to address
the Libyan nation "shortly", according to Free Libya TV station.
13:07 The Telegraph's foreign correspondent, Ben Farmer -
the only UK newspaper journalist in Sirte, describes the celebrations among NTC
soldiers as the final Gaddafi stronghold is taken.
13:02 A soldier who said he captured Gaddafi himself has
told a BBC the colonel shouted "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" after he
was discovered hiding in a hole in District 2 in Sirte. The soldier reportedly
brandished Gaddafi's golden pistol after his capture.
12:58 Here is a timeline of the Libyan uprising, from the
arrest of human rights activist Fethi Tarbel starting a riot in Benghazi on Feb
15 through to reports today that Gaddafi has been killed after Sirte was
liberated.
12:56 A pro-Gaddafi television website denied reports
that the strongman had been killed or captured. Al-Libiya television website
said:
The reports peddled by the lackeys of Nato about the
capture or death of the brother leader, Muammar Gaddafi, is baseless.
12:53 Reuters reporting Gaddafi dies of wounds suffered
in capture near Sirte - senior NTC military official.
12:51 According to a Libyan commander, Gaddafi's
mouthpiece and face of the regime Moussa Ibrahim, has also been captured.
12:49 Ben Farmer in Sirte reports:
Scenes of wild
jubilation in the centre of Sirte at news that Gaddafi has been captured.
People are firing in the air.
Gaddafi is reportedly being taken to Misurata in a
convoy. Abu Bakr Yunis, defence minister has apparently been killed and
Gaddafi's chief of security forces since the start of the uprising has been
badly wounded.
12:48 Libyan revolutionary forces aren't waiting for
confirmation of Gaddafi's capture before they start celebrating in Sirte
following the fall of the city:
12:48 Russian Presidet Medvedev has said "Gaddafi's
fate should be decided by Libyan people."
12:50 Pro-Gaddafi TV channels denying the leader's death.
12:45 Non-NTC sources have confirmed to Sky News that
Gaddafi has been captured and still alive, but in a critical condition.
12:41 Al Arabiya sources saying the "dead body of
Gaddafi" is being taken to Misurata by revoluntionary forces. It is
important to remember, all reports so far are not confirmed independently, and
deaths of members of the former leader's family have previously been wrong.
12:35 A Libyan government fighter is being quoted by Reuters
as saying Gaddafi was found hiding in a hole in Sirte, shouting "Don't
shoot, don't shoot".
12:35 There are wild scenes of celebration in Sirte,
however, no independent confirmation has yet been given.
12:30 NTC sources who claim to have seen the wounded
Gaddafi say he was captured wearing a Khaki uniform and a turban.
12:28 If the rumours are true, it would confirm the
theory that Gaddafi has been hiding out near his hometown of Sirte for the last
few weeks even as fighting intensified in the battle to take the city.
12:27 Sky News reporting that the former leader of Libya
has been taken by revoluntionary forces and wounded in both legs.
12:25 Foreign news agency AFP are also reporting that
Gaddafi has been captured, according to the an NTC commander and Libya TV.
12:06 Reports that Gaddafi's defence minister Abu Bakr
Yunis has been killed.
11:20 Ben Farmer on the scenes of celebration in the
centre of Sirte:
Civilians, whose
city has been under siege since Gaddafi was removed from power at the end of
August, were making their way to the centre to celebrate. The Telegraph,
witnessing scenes in the centre of the city siad there were scens of relief,
jubilation and intense celebratory gunfire among National Transitional Council
(NTC) forces.
The new national flag was raised above a large utilities
building in the Mediterranean city, which had been under siege for nearly two
months.
11:00 Col Yunus Al Abdali, head of operations in the
eastern half of the city says:
Sirte has been liberated. There are no Gaddafi forces any
more.
We are now chasing his fighters who are trying to run
away.
10:45 Ben Farmer, who is in the centre of Sirte reports:
In the early hours
of the morning, at least five cars carrying loyalist fighters attempted to
escape the city, but most were rounded up and killed by revolutionaries.
Libyan rebels then moved into the city's Number Two
residential neighbourhood, which was the last pocket of pro-Gaddafi resistance
left in the war-torn country.
10:30 (11.30 Libya) Welcome to our live coverage of the
fall of the Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte.
