(Reuters) - Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi died of wounds suffered in his capture near his hometown of Sirte on Thursday, a senior NTC military official said.
National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters earlier that Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday 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."
There was no independent confirmation of his remarks.
(Reporting by Samia Nakhoul; editing by David Stamp)
Commanders for Libya's transitional authorities say they have captured ousted leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.
The reports came after transitional forces claimed control of Sirte, Col Gaddafi's birthplace, following weeks of fierce fighting.
Some unconfirmed reports say Col Gaddafi has been wounded, others that he has been killed.
The colonel was toppled in August after 42 years in power. The International Criminal Court is seeking his arrest.
"He's captured. He's wounded in both legs," National Transitional Council (NTC) official Abdel Majid told Reuters news agency.
"He's been taken away by ambulance."
AFP news agency quoted another NTC official, Mohamed Leith, as saying that Col Gaddafi had been captured in Sirte and was "seriously wounded" but still breathing.
A soldier who says he captured Muammar Gaddafi told the BBC the colonel had shouted: "Don't shoot!"
But NTC official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters news agency that the former leader had been shot in the head and killed as he tried to flee.
Reuters also quoted another NTC commander, Abdul Hakim al-Jalil, as saying that Col Gaddafi's spokesman Moussa Ibrahim had been captured and the head of his armed forces, Abu Bakr Younus Jabr, had been killed, but again this has not been independently verified.
The BBC's Caroline Hawley in Tripoli says ships and cars have been sounding their horns in the capital and guns are being fired in celebration.
Earlier, NTC commanders in Sirte - about 360km (220 miles) east of Tripoli - said the city had been liberated.
"There are no Gaddafi forces any more," Col Yunus al-Abdali told Reuters. "We are now chasing his fighters who are trying to run away."
There was no confirmation from the NTC leadership.
But fighters in Sirte celebrated by firing in the air, and chanting "Allah akbar" ("God is great").
Interim government forces had been facing heavy resistance from snipers in the city, and used heavy artillery during its offensive. Thousands of civilians have fled.
The NTC has also suffered heavy casualties in the town of Bani Walid, south-east of Tripoli, in recent weeks.
On Monday the NTC said it had captured 90% of the town, including the centre.
Libyan TV reports Gadhafi dead; report unconfirmed Former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is dead, reported Al-Ahrar, a National Transitional Council TV station. It didn't cite a source and the news couldn't be independently confirmed.
Earlier revolutionary fighters said they had captured Gadhafi, Libyan television said Wednesday, citing the Misrata Military Council. That report could not be independently confirmed. A National Transitional Council military spokesman told CNN that reports of Gadhafi's capture are only rumors. See the full story
Abdurahman Bousin added that it's doubtful that Gadhafi was even in or around his hometown of Sirte.
Fighters loyal to the NTC took control of Sirte Thursday, the council said. CNN's Dan Rivers is in Tripoli where massive crowds are cheering and honking their car horns. Many are shooting into the air in celebration.
[Update 8:07 a.m. ET] The State Department can't confirm reports about the capture or killing of Moammar Gadhafi, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
[Update 7:32 a.m. ET] A "big fish" has been captured in Libya, but a spokesman for the new rulers couldn't say for sure whether it was former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
The picture purportedly showing Muammar Gaddafi's capture we posted earlier seems to come from a video on a mobile phone. AFP has sent through another frame from the same video.
Gaddafi dead: 'Colonel Gaddafi captured but died of injuries', Libya transitional council official claims
FUGITIVE Colonel Muhammar Gaddafi was “killed” today during a final rebel attack on his birthplace.
The toppled Libyan leader was badly wounded in both legs and shot in the head as rebels backed by NATO attacked a convoy fleeing the coastal town of Sirte, it was claimed.
He is said to have died shortly after rebel fighters finally overran his loyalists defending the coastal town of Sirte - finally ending the last remnants of his 42 year hold on Libya.
Libyan National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta said Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn today 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.”
A mobile phone picture was later released by AFP which apparently showed the Libya leader's arrest.
Fighters celebrate the fall of Sirte
Television broadcasts showed footage of NTC troops celebrating the fall of Sirte and the apparent capture of Gaddafi, who was wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
There were fierce gun battles on the streets of the coastal city in the morning, bringing an end to a siege which has lasted almost two months since the fall of capital Tripoli to rebel troops in August.
“Our forces control the last neighbourhood in Sirte,” NTC member Hassan Draoua said. “The city has been liberated.”
Shortly afterwards senior National Transitional Council commanders claimed Gaddafi had died from wounds sustained in the final assault.
NATO said it was checking reports of the capture of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and said they could take some time to confirm.
‘’We are checking and assessing the situation.’’ a NATO official said. ‘’Clearly these are very significant developments, which will take time to confirm. “
Gaddafi has been rumoured to be hiding in Sirte for many weeks, although it was also believed he may be in his desert stronghold of Bani Walid, to the south.
A Libyan transitional forces commander said Moussa Ibrahim, former spokesman for Muammar Gaddafi’s fallen government, was captured near the city of Sirte this afternoon.
Abdul Hakim Al Jalil, commander of the 11th brigade, also said he had seen the body of the chief of Gaddafi’s armed forces, Abu Bakr Younus Jabr.
“I’ve seen him with my own eyes.” he said and displayed a picture of Jabr’s body.
“Moussa Ibrahim was also captured and both of them were transferred to our operations room.”
Colonel Roland Lavoie, spokesman for Nato's operational headquarters in Naples, said its aircraft today struck two vehicles of pro-Gaddafi forces "which were part of a larger group manoeuvring in the vicinity of Sirte".
The Ministry of Defence in London confirmed that Nato warplanes today attacked a convoy of vehicles fleeing Sirte.
It is not known whether Gaddafi was in any of vehicles.
"It was targeted on the basis that this was the last of the pro-Gaddafi forces fleeing Sirte," a spokesman said.
RAF fighters were not involved in the attack, although RAF reconnaissance aircraft were in the area.
The ecstatic former rebels celebrated the fall of Sirte after weeks of bloody siege by firing endless rounds into the sky, pumping their guns, knives and even a meat cleaver in the air and singing the national anthem.
In the central quarter where the final battle took place, the fighters looking like the same ragtag force that started the uprising eight months ago, jumped up and down with joy and flashed V-for-victory signs.
Some burned the green Gaddafi flag, then stepped on it with their boots.
They chanted "Allah akbar" or "God is great", while one fighter climbed a traffic light pole to unfurl the revolution's flag, which he first kissed.
Discarded military uniforms of Gaddafi's fighters littered the streets. One revolutionary fighter waved a silver trophy in the air while another held up a box of firecrackers, then set them off.
A Libyan fighter claimed Gaddafi was hiding in a hole in his hometown of Sirte shouting: "Don't shoot, don't shoot."
In a statement on NTC-controlled state television, a presenter draped in the flag of liberated Libya said: "Gaddafi is in the hands of the rebels. Gaddafi personally is in the hands of the rebels.
"We have captured Gaddafi. Libya is joyous, Libya is celebrating, Libya has given a lesson to all those who want to learn.
"I salute you, rebels. I salute you, revolutionaries. You have captured this criminal who has killed the mothers of the martyrs."
Libyan fighters had earlier overrun the last positions of Gaddafi loyalists holding out in his hometown Sirte.
The final push to capture the remaining pro-Gaddafi positions began around 8 am and was over after about 90 minutes.
Just before the assault, about five carloads of loyalists tried to flee the enclave down the coastal highway but were killed by revolutionaries.
Revolutionaries began searching homes and buildings looking for any Gaddafi fighters who may be hiding there.
"Our forces control the last neighbourhood in Sirte," said Hassan Draoua, a member of Libya's interim National Transitional Council.
"The city has been liberated."
After the battle, revolutionaries began searching homes and buildings looking for any Gaddafi fighters who may be hiding there. At least 16 pro-Gaddafi fighters were captured, with multiple cases of ammunition and trucks loaded with weapons.
Reporters saw revolutionaries beating captured Gaddafi men in the back of trucks and officers intervening to stop them.
Celebratory gunfire echoed through Sirte, which fell into the hands of revolutionaries almost two full months after they overrun Tripoli and many other parts of the country.
Despite the fall of Tripoli on August 21, Gaddafi loyalists mounted fierce resistance in several areas, including Sirte, preventing Libya's new leaders from declaring full victory in the eight-month civil war.
Earlier this week, revolutionary fighters gained control of one stronghold, Bani Walid, and by Tuesday said they had squeezed Gaddafi 's forces in Sirte into a residential area of about 700 square metres but were still coming under heavy fire from surrounding buildings.
Deputy defence minister Fawzi Abu Katif said on Wednesday that authorities still believe Gaddafi's son Muatassim is among the ex-regime figures holed up in the diminishing area in Sirte. He was not seen on the ground after the final battle today.
In an illustration of how difficult and slow the fighting for Sirte was, it took the anti-Gaddafi fighters two days to capture a single residential building.
It is unclear whether Gaddafi loyalists who have escaped might continue the fight and attempt to organise an insurgency using the vast amount of weapons Gaddafi was believed to have stored in hideouts in the remote southern desert.
Unlike Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi had no well-organised political party that could form the basis of an insurgent leadership. However, regional and ethnic differences have already appeared among the ranks of the revolutionaries, possibly laying the foundation for civil strife.
Gaddafi issued several audio recordings trying to rally supporters. Libyan officials have previously said they believe he is hiding somewhere in the vast south-western desert near the borders with Niger and Algeria.
they tying up loose ends... one person's dictator is another person's humanitarian... wow imagine that Libya have billions of dollars frozen by the u.s. gov't and had no way to take control of it....oh wait i wonder who will control Libya now......hmmmm now that he is gone guess who taking that money....dont believe everything you read in the papers...there is always a bigger picture going on right in front of you...its funny when you think you are the central agency of the world intelligence.....think Saddam...
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Libya's Prime Minister and several NTC figures have confirmed Gaddafi's death, caused by wounds suffered during his capture.
The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse has visited the drain where Col Gaddafi was reportedly found and killed by NTC forces
Libya's ex-leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has been killed after an assault on his birthplace of Sirte, officials say.
National Transitional Council (NTC) Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril told a news conference in Tripoli it was time to launch a new, united Libya.
Col Gaddafi was toppled in August after 42 years in power.
The NTC now plans to officially announce Libya's "liberation" before indicating the next steps towards democratic elections.
Mr Jibril said NTC forces were now pursuing Saif al-Islam, Col Gaddafi's most prominent son, who fled Sirte in a convoy before Sirte fell.
Golden gun After a day of conflicting reports and rumours, Mr Jibril told the news conference: "We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Muammar Gaddafi has been killed."
Al-Jazeera TV broadcast footage it says showed Col Gaddafi's body
World leaders welcomed the news, urging the NTC to carry through its promise to reform the country.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who had taken a leading role in the Nato intervention, said it was "a day to remember all of Col Gaddafi's victims".
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called it a "historic" moment, but warned: "The road ahead for Libya and its people will be difficult and full of challenges."
Earlier, grainy video footage circulated among NTC fighters appearing to show Col Gaddafi's corpse.
The video shows a large number of NTC fighters yelling in chaotic scenes around a khaki-clad body, which has blood oozing from the face and neck.
Another video broadcast by al-Jazeera TV showed a body being dragged through the streets which the channel said was that of Col Gaddafi.
An NTC fighter told the BBC he found Col Gaddafi hiding in a hole in Sirte, and the former leader begged him not to shoot.
The fighter showed reporters a golden pistol he said he had taken from Col Gaddafi.
Arabic TV channels showed images of troops surrounding two large drainage pipes where the reporters said Col Gaddafi was found.
'Saif surrounded' NTC supporters gathered in towns and cities to celebrate the reports of the colonel's death.
Rana Jawad BBC News, Tripoli "Driving into the centre of Tripoli, there are throngs of people out on the streets - men, women and children - many hugging each other and chanting. Gunshots can be heard firing into the air - despite a religious edict banning the practice. Car horns are blaring and many vehicles have their emergency lights blinking."
At some checkpoints, security officials are handing out what have been dubbed "revolutionary mints" and biscuits.
All the flags are out. People are genuinely convinced this is the end of Col Gaddafi. They felt that even in hiding he posed a threat to the revolution - but for them this news means the authorities can now start to rebuild the country.
Groups of young men fired guns in the air, and drivers honked horns in celebration.
His death came after weeks of fierce fighting for Sirte, one of the last remaining pockets of resistance.
Nato, which has been running a bombing campaign in Libya for months, said it had carried out an air strike earlier on Thursday that hit two pro-Gaddafi vehicles near Sirte.
It was unclear whether the strikes were connected with Col Gaddafi's death.
Mr Jibril promised that National Transitional Council (NTC) chief Mustafa Abdul Jalil would give more details of how Col Gaddafi was killed either late on Thursday or during Friday.
He said Mr Abdul Jalil would also officially announce the "liberation of the country", allowing the NTC to begin pushing through democratic reforms that will lead to elections.
"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," Mr Jibril said.
He also told the news conference that NTC forces had surrounded Saif al-Islam's convoy.
There are also rumours that another of the colonel's sons, Mutassim, was killed in Sirte.
Ok so now he's dead what is the next 10 years going to be like?????
US and UK oil companys will make sure Libya gets a leader that allows full access to the oil, sectarian violence that was very low under the fat one due to his iron fist rule will increase massively and before you know it you have a new Iraq.. The only way this country had peace was with that type of rule, sad but true... They are already assassinating possible trible leaders that would run for the top job.... Also what will Iran be thinking????????
If theres a country crying out for a revoloution its that one, but firetruck me it will be messy!! And ww3 will be on the cards if any country gets involved,
For me Libyia is a sheit sandwich and the "now free people" will have a lovely US put inplace government to deal with.....
Last edited by Rocketraz1982 on October 20th, 2011, 5:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
well..i guess now..Europe has a gas station in Libya... an to hit Gaddafi with a shoe - a sign of severe disrespect in the Middle East...an i guess ..a propermuslim burial by throwing him over the side of a ship..!!
