Gadhafi killed in Libya
News sparks mass celebrations in Tripoli
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi cheers his supporters, as he is surrounded by members of the media after a meeting with a delegation of five African leaders at his Bab al-Aziziyah compound in Tripoli, Libya, on April 10, 2011. Gadhafi, making his first appearance in front of the foreign media in weeks, joined a visiting African Union delegation seeking to mediate in Libya’s conflict at his Bab al-Aziziyah compound in Tripoli on Sunday. (REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra)
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Former Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi allegedly died on Thursday from wounds received as rebel fighters seized control of his hometown of Sirte, the New York Times reports. The claim, initially made by the Misrata Military Council, which has been leading the two-month siege of Sirte, has been confirmed by the Transitional National Council, Libya’s interim government. The rebels told reporters they captured Gaddafi at around noon local time on Thursday. Those reports were soon followed with an update that the Colonel had died. Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya are showing graphic images of what they said is Gaddafi’s corpse, which has reportedly arrived in Misrata. The news, delivered on Libyan State Television, sparked mass celebrations in the capital, Tripoli, as streets filled with crowds and mosques began celebratory prayers. The NTC told Al Jazeera it will announce the liberation of Libya “within hours”.