NEWS ALERT : Deposed Libyan leader Gadhafi reportedly captured and possibly dead

Deutsche Welle

Former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was driven from power in August by rebels seeking a more democratic Libya, was reported captured and possibly killed by forces loyal to the new government on Thursday, according to unconfirmed reports from the National Transitional Council (NTC).

The NTC said he was badly injured when he was captured as he and a convoy attempted to flee his hometown of Sirte, one of the last cities in Libya to fall to the NTC.

A cell-phone photo of a man with blood on his face and shirt, being carried or held up by other men, has been circulating on TV networks and news agencies. There are unconfirmed reports that the man is Moammar Gadhafi. It cannot be discerned from the grainy photo if the man is alive or dead, but he does bear some physical resemblance to Gadhafi.

Sirte fallen

NATO confirmed that aircraft had struck two vehicles that were part of a convoy travelling near Sirte on Thursday morning, but did not comment as to whether either vehicle was carrying Gadhafi.

"These armed vehicles were conducting military operations and presented a clear threat to civilians," said NATO spokesman Colonel Roland Lavoie.

The NTC, Libya's interim rulers, has been battling to take Sirte for weeks now, announcing various ceasefires and deadlines for Gadhafi's forces to surrender.

Capturing the Mediterranean port city, located 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Tripoli, has been seen as key to establishing the physical unity of a post-Gadhafi Libya.

EU response

As more and more media outlets in Libya and abroad reported that Gadhafi had been killed, European Union President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso issued a joint statement.

"The reported death of Moammar Gadhafi marks the end of an era of despotism and repression from which the Libyan people have suffered for too long," the statement said.

"We call on the National Transitional Council to pursue a broad based reconciliation process which reaches out to all Libyans and enables a democratic, peaceful and transparent transition in the country," the European leaders wrote.

Author: Holly Fox, Matt Zuvela (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Mark Hallam