[PF:166342] Rebels capture Tripoli, Gaddafi era ends, 2 sons in rebel custody

Gaddafi sons in custody; spy chief at large

Muammar Gaddafi's two eldest sons are held by the rebels, but his longtime intelligence chief's whereabouts are unknown. Last Modified: 22 Aug 2011 12:36

Saif al-Islam, pictured in March, is one of three regime figures, including his father, wanted by the ICC [Reuters] The two eldest sons of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are in rebel custody, but the whereabouts of other relatives and senior officials remain unknown.  Gaddafi's second-eldest son, Saif al-Islam, was detained by rebels on Sunday night, according to Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the head of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC). The council provided few other details. Hours later, a spokesman for the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed the arrest. The opposition has not announced whether it will hand over prisoners to the ICC. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam in June on charges of crimes against humanity. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the court's chief prosecutor, described Saif al-Islam as Libya's "de facto prime minister", and accused him of recruiting foreign mercenaries that reportedly attacked protesters during Libya's six-month uprising. "We hope he can soon be in The Hague," Moreno-Ocampo said on Monday. Still, the rebels have not yet said whether they will transfer Saif al-Islam to the ICC. Representatives from the court and the rebel council are scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss a possible transfer. Eldest son 'unharmed' Muammar Gaddafi's eldest son, Mohammad, was also detained by rebels on Sunday night. Mohammad Gaddafi's interview with Al Jazeera In an interview with Al Jazeera after he surrendered, Mohammad expressed his "sadness" at the fighting in Libya. The interview was interrupted by gunfire. "What's happening in Libya is very upsetting. The killing between brothers, between Muslims, is something that saddens me," he said, shortly before gunfire rang out in the background. Abdul Jalil said that Gaddafi was unharmed, though there was no way to verify that claim. His whereabouts is currently unknown. Mohammad was the chairman of Libya's main state-run telecommunications firm, but his role in his father's government was reportedly minimal, far smaller than Saif al-Islam's. Gaddafi, Senussi fled Tripoli? Other former senior Gaddafi officials remain at large, including three of his seven sons. Gaddafi's sons: Where are they? Mohammad: Surrendered to rebel fighters in Tripoli. Saif al-Islam: Captured by rebel fighters in Tripoli; possibly facing extradition to The Hague. Saadi: Captured by rebel fighters in Tripoli. Hannibal: At large. Mutasim: At large. Saif al-Arab: Killed by a NATO airstrike in April. Khamis: At large; unsubstantiated rumours that he was killed. The biggest question is Muammar Gaddafi himself, last heard in a brief audio recording on Sunday night. He called on Libya's tribes to March on the capital. "How can you allow Tripoli to be burned?" he asked. It is unclear whether Gaddafi is still in Tripoli, though that seems increasingly unlikely. Gaddafi, like Saif al-Islam, is wanted by the ICC. Three other Gaddafi sons - Hannibal, Mutasim and Khamis - have not been located. Hannibal had little role in politics, but Khamis headed a feared army unit that took a leading role in suppressing protests. Mutasim was an army officer and a security adviser to his father. The Al-Arabiya news network reported on Monday that Khamis was traveling to central Tripoli with soldiers loyal to him. That report could not be immediately confirmed. Abdullah al-Senussi, Gaddafi's longtime intelligence chief and  brother-in-law, also seems to have eluded the rebels. He was last seen at Tripoli's Rixos Hotel on Sunday, when he told foreign journalists that "Western intelligence" was "working alongside al-Qaeda to destroy Libya". There are rumours in Arabic newspapers that Senussi fled Tripoli, either to southern Libya or to the Tunisian town of Djerba, but those reports cannot be substantiated. Senussi was the third Libyan official charged by the ICC in June. The court accused him of carrying out a campaign of murder, mass arrest and torture.

Source: Al Jazeera

Pockets of resistance as rebels claim Tripoli Libyan leader's whereabouts still unknown as clashes break out in capital and rebel leader announces end of Gaddafi era. Last Modified: 22 Aug 2011 13:34 The head of Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) has announced the end of the Gaddafi era, while sporadic fighting continued across the capital, Tripoli. Fighting and gun battles erupted in parts of Tripoli on Monday after tanks left Bab al-Azizyah, Muammar Gaddafi's compound, to confront the rebel assault that gained control of much of the capital in a battle overnight. Many of the streets in the centre of the city - where anti-government supporters had celebrated hours earlier - were abandoned as pockets of pro-Gaddafi resistance and the presence of snipers and artillery fire made the area dangerous. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, who advanced into the city with rebel fighters overnight, said the security situation in the city was "tenuous," despite there being celebrations in the streets. "There are some Gaddafi forces still putting up a fight," our correspondent said. "And rebels still have one last push to make towards Bab al-Azizyah," Khodr added, saying that it was unclear when this advance would take place. In other developments: Gaddafi's two eldest sons are in custody. Saif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, was arrested in a village in western Tripoli and Mohammed surrendered to rebel forces and spoke to Al Jazeerashortly afterwards. US President Barack Obama says momentum against Gaddafi has reached a tipping point as world leadersheralded a "new beginning" for Libya. The Libyan diaspora communities celebrate the advance of opposition forces.  Throughout the night, euphoric Libyan rebels moved into the centre of Tripoli and thousands of jubilant civilians rushed out of their homes to cheer the long convoys of pickup trucks packed with fighters shooting in the air. For the latest news, follow our Libya Live Blog Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference in the rebel stronghold Benghazi, the NTC's Mustafa Abdel Jalil acknowledged that Libya still faced a lot of challenges, including maintaining law and order. "Jalil spoke at length saying that it wasn't going to be a bed of roses and a great number of challenges lay ahead for the Libyan people," Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reported from Benghazi. Rowland called Jalil "a very moderate voice, a voice calling for common sense and reason" at this sensitive time. She said: "He called on people in Tripoli to respect people's lives and people's property ... he also stressed that there should not be a case of people taking the law into their own hands". Jalil said Gaddafi had left a legacy of violence against his own people and the world. He said he hoped that Gaddafi was captured alive so that he could be put on trial. "We will provide him with a fair trial. But I have no idea how he will defend himself against these crimes that he committed against the Libyan people and the world," Jalil said Defiant audio messages There has been no word on the location of Gaddafi himself. The Libyan leader has delivered a series of angry and defiant audio messages in recent days, vowing not to surrender. In the most recent address, he acknowledged that opposition forces were moving into Tripoli and warned the city would be turned into another Baghdad. He also called on Libya's tribes to rally to the city's defence. "How come you allow Tripoli, the capital, to be under occupation once again?" he said. "The traitors are paving the way for the occupation forces to be deployed in Tripoli." Opposition forces and Tripoli residents were trying to maintain order in the city on Monday, said Khodr. "The people of Tripoli really are maintaining law and order in the areas that they are now controlling in Tripoli," our correspondent said. "They have set up checkpoints, are searching cars and looking for possible Gaddafi supporters, because ever since late last night they were worried about sleeper cells in the capital." As the fighting intensified, it was reported that foreign journalists had been trapped inside the Rixos hotel where many correspondents have been based throughout the conflict. "They are not allowed to leave the hotel because there are Gaddafi men in the area and around the area," Khodr said. Opposition hold majority control An opposition fighter in Tripoli told Al Jazeera that only about 20 per cent of the city was in the hands of Gaddafi supporters. "NATO air forces are above us, I am not sure if they are going to strike or if they are just here for surveillance." Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the NATO secretary-general, said NATO is ready to work with the Libyan NTC, and "our goal throughout this conflict has been to protect the people of Libya". With Gaddafi's grip on power apparently slipping, speculation has begun on where he may flee if Tripoli falls into rebel hands. In a press conference, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, South Africa's foreign minister, said Pretoria was not facilitating Gaddafi's exit and did not know the 69-year-old leader's current whereabouts.  Nkoana-Mashabane added that South Africa had no plans at the moment to recognise the rebel government if Gaddafi falls. "The Libyans themselves  must be given the chance to decide the future if their country and the future of Gaddafi," Nkoana-Mashabana said. Al Jazeera's correspondent in Johannesburg, Haru Matasa, said Angola and Zimbabwe had been cited as countries the embattled leader was most likely to go to. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

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