Gaddafi son resurfaces, free and vowing to fight

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Gaddafi son resurfaces, free and vowing to fight

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The son of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, Seif al-Islam, resurfaced free and defiant early Tuesday.

23 August,2011 08:01 am

The son and heir apparent of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, Seif al-Islam, resurfaced free and defiant early Tuesday a day after rebels claimed to have captured him, boasting in a bizarre reappearance that his fathers loyalists still control parts of Tripoli and would crush the rebellion.Seif al-Islams sudden even surreal arrival at a Tripoli hotel where foreign journalists are staying threw the situation in the capital into confusion. It underlined the potential for Gaddafi, whose whereabouts remain unknown, to lash back even as his grip on power seemed to be slipping fast.Rebels say they control the large majority of Tripoli, but on Monday they were still fighting pockets of fierce resistance from regime loyalists firing mortars and anti-aircraft guns. Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Rahman, who was in Tripoli, said the danger is still there as long as the elder Gaddafi remains on the run. He warned that pro-Gaddafi brigades are positioned on Tripolis outskirts and could be in the middle of the city in half an hour.The rebel leadership seemed stunned that Seif al-Islam was free. The leaderships spokesman, Sadeq al-Kabir, had no explanation and could only say, This could be all lies.He could not confirm whether Seif al-Islam escaped rebel custody, but he did say that another captured Gaddafi son, Mohammed, had escaped the home arrest that rebels had placed him in a day earlier. On Monday, the rebels had said Seif al-Islam was captured, but did not give details on where he was held. The Netherlands-based International Criminal Court which indicted Seif al-Islam and his father had confirmed his capture.Seif al-Islam, with a full beard and wearing an olive-green T-shirt and camouflage trousers, turned up early Tuesday morning at the Rixos hotel, where about 30 foreign journalists are staying in Tripoli under the close watch of regime minders.Riding in a white limousine amid a convoy of armored SUVs, he took reporters on a drive through parts of the city still under the regimes control, saying, We are going to hit the hottest spots in Tripoli. The tour covered mainly the area that was known to still be under the regimes control the district around the Rixos hotel and nearby Bab al-Aziziya, Gaddafis residential compound and military barracks. The tour went through streets full of armed Gaddafi backers, controlled by roadblocks, and into the Gaddafi stronghold neighborhood Bu Slim.At Bab al-Aziziya, at least a hundred men were waiting in lines for guns being distributed to volunteers to defend the regime. Seif al-Islam shook hands with supporters, beaming and flashing the V for victory sign.We are here. This is our country. This is our people, and we live here, and we die here, he said. And we are going to win, because the people are with us. Thats why were are going to win. Look at them look at them, in the streets, everywhereWhen asked about the ICCs claim that he was arrested by rebels, he told reporters: The ICC can go to hell, and added We are going to break the backbone of the rebels.In Benghazi, the de facto rebel capital hundreds of miles east of Tripoli, the head of the rebel National Transitional Council said the rebels have no idea where Gaddafi is or whether he is even in Tripoli.,The real moment of victory is when Gaddafi is captured, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil said. An Obama administration official said the US had no indication that Gaddafi had left Libya.President Barack Obama said the situation in Libya reached a tipping point in recent days after a five month NATO-led bombing campaign. However, he acknowledged that the situation remained fluid and that elements of the regime remained a threat.The Obama administration official said the U.S. believes 90 percent of the capital is under rebel control, while regime loyalists still control Sirte and the southern city of Sebha. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly.Gaddafis forces remained active, firing off a short-range Scud missile Monday near Sirte, Gaddafis hometown and one of the few remaining cities still under his control, said U.S. military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. It was unclear where the missile landed or if anyone was hurt.