Gaddafi ‘captured’ as rebel forces take control of Sirte
Muammar Gaddafi has been captured by revolutionary forces in Libya, it has been reported today.
Gaddafi and his family have been on the run since Nato and rebel forces started closing the net on Tripoli in mid-August.
Al-Arabiya TV station reported that the dictator had been killed while being captured, while other reports from say he was wounded in both legs.
The reports of Gaddafi’s capture came on the same day that revolutionary forces said that they had taken control of Sirte - the leader’s home town.
Initial reports from CNN and the National Transitional Council (NTC) said Gaddafi was in custody, while Al Jazeera reported that a ‘big fish’ had been caught but did not provide a name.
Sky News reported that Gaddafi had been wounded in both legs prior to his capture. He was wearing a military-style uniform.
A military official told Reuters via telephone: ‘He’s captured. He’s wounded in both legs … He’s been taken away by ambulance.
Libya’s transitional government forces have taken full control of the city - the last stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists.
Gaddafi’s presence there would explain why fighting had been so intense in the past few weeks.
Al Jazeera reported spontaneous celebration in cities like Benghazi and Tripoli, with people cheering and shouting, car horns sounding and small arms fire being heard.
After weeks of fierce fighting the NTC announced that it had ‘taken control’ of the city.
It also revealed the head of Gaddafi’s armed forces, Abu Bakr Younus Jabr, had been killed.
But as revolutionary forces celebrated in the city, reports came of Gaddafi’s capture.
The NTC said that, in the early hours of the morning, at least five cars carrying loyalist fighters attempted to escape the city.
Most were killed or rounded up, and it is not clear whether this was an attempt by Gaddafi to escape.
