Col Gaddafi Son Saif Free And In Tripoli

Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al Islam is free and not under arrest by rebel forces, as had been claimed.

:: Reuters reports that three Scud-type missiles were fired by Gaddafi loyalists from his home town of Sirte but Nato said they had most likely landed at sea and no casualties have been reported.

:: In a statement, US President Barack Obama said Col Gaddafi "needs to relinquish power" but warned that the violence was "not over yet".

:: Al Jazeera has reported that two bodies have been found, one of which could be that of Col Gaddafi's son Khamis, according to Libya intelligence chief Senussi.

:: Al Jazeera also claims that another son, Mohammed, fled house arrest with the help of loyalist fighters.

:: South African national broadcaster SABC reports that Angola has offered asylum to Col Gaddafi.

The leader's 39-year-old son, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, was seen by several journalists at Tripoli's Rixos hotel.

It had been reported that two of Col Gaddafi's sons, Saif al Islam and Mohammed, had been captured by the rebels

But Said al Islam, seen as his father's favoured son, was filmed in a car being greeted by supporters in streets near the Rixos hotel.

He told reporters his father was safe and well and that he remained in Tripoli - which he insisted was still under the control of loyalist forces.

It comes after it was claimed Col Gaddafi's compound in the capital was being bombed by Nato warplanes as forces loyal to the dictator make what could be a final stand.

Al Arabiya TV station reported that rebel sources had said the longstanding leader's base was coming under bombardment as clashes continued in the city.

Anti-government forces aim to maintain the control they gained over the majority of the city on Sunday night.

There have been reports of violence near the Bab al Aziziyah compound and around the Rixos hotel in the city's centre.

Reuters reported Al Arabiya TV as saying a third son, Saadi, has also been captured.

There are also unconfirmed reports that Col Gaddafi's youngest son Khamis Gaddafi, who runs a section of the Libyan army called the Khamis Brigade, has been found dead.

But so far there has been no sign of the embattled leader himself.

There has been much speculation about his whereabouts - Sky's foreign affairs correspondent Lisa Holland has said she believes he is still in Tripoli.

Holland said it was unlikely he would have fled to his home village of Sirte but that there was a possibility he could be in an underground bunker in the city.

In a statement US President Barack Obama called on Col Gaddafi to "explicitly relinquish power" but warned that the fighting in Libya was "not over yet".

He said the "situation in Libya remains fluid, uncertain, but the Gaddafi regime is coming to an end".

President Obama vowed that Washington will be "a friend and a partner" in the strife-torn country's future and urged "an inclusive transition that leads to a democratic Libya."

In a press conference from New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said he had no information about the whereabouts of Col Gaddafi and had tried unsuccessfully to speak to him.

He called on Col Gaddafi's forces to "cease violence" and prepare for a smooth transition of power to the National Transitional Council (NTC).

A spokesman for the Pentagon in the US said he did not believe Col Gaddafi had fled the country.

He added that the US does not plan to send ground forces to Libya to assist in any peacekeeping operations following the fall of Col Gaddafi.

Meanwhile, the South African national broadcaster SABC has reported that Angola has offered asylum to Col Gaddafi.

And rebel leaders have indicated they might want to try the leader's three sons in Libya instead of handing them over the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Rebel military spokesman Mohammed Zawiwa said they had seized control of the state broadcaster in Tripoli which has been off air since Monday afternoon.

Libya's charge d'affaires Mahmud Nacua speaking in London claimed the rebels were in control of 95% of the Tripoli, while forces on the ground said it was closer to 80%.

But a rebel official said there had been a "large number" of casualties.

In anticipation of Col Gaddafi's fall from power, Mr Nacua also revealed the rebel-led National Transitional Council would move its base from the east to the capital.

"There will be no (power) vacuum. The NTC will move soon from Benghazi to Tripoli and they will appoint a transitional government which will rule the country," he said.

David Cameron spoke to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to discuss formulating another UN resolution on top of 1973.

Earlier, Egypt's government said it formally recognised the rebel-led NTC and French President Nicolas Sarkozy invited leader Mahmoud Jibril to Paris for talks this week.

Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has also said he plans to meet the rebel leader in Italy in coming days.

Meanwhile a Libyan soldier has given himself up to Tunisian authorities in Tunis saying he had been ordered to bomb an Arab embassy in the capital by Col Gaddafi's army.

Early on Monday several rebel convoys swept into Tripoli, where they encountered little resistance from government forces.

Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford said thousands of people were involved in euphoric scenes of jubilation at Green Square - the symbolic heart of the capital.

"You can hear them singing and dancing, it is an amazing scene," she said.

"Guns are being fired in celebration. They are wanting to show how relieved they are.

"They're tearing down all the Gaddafi posters and pulling down all the green national flags.

"They are celebrating as they have never celebrated before. This is one big party in Green Square right now."

The Libyan government had until recently used the site for regime-organised demonstrations in support of the leader.

Earlier, Col Gaddafi - who is the longest-serving leader in both Africa and the Arab world - said in an audio address he was still in the capital and insisted he would be victorious.

Mr Nacua told reporters in London the rebels would "turn over every stone to find him, to arrest him, and to put him in the court".

As the fighting continues in Tripoli, the city's hospitals were being swamped by casualties and doctors have appealed for humanitarian aid.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed that Col Gaddafi's sons Saif al Islam and Mohammed have been detained by rebels.

An ICC official said it was in discussions with the Libyan council about the transfer of Saif to The Hague.

Both he and his father are wanted for crimes against humanity and in June the ICC issued arrest warrants for them.

US President Barack Obama led world leaders in urging Col Gaddafi to acknowledge he was no longer in control of the country.

Prime Minister David Cameron interrupted his holiday in Cornwall to chair a meeting of the National Security Council's Libya group on Monday.

He said Col Gaddafi's regime was in "full retreat" and he should stop fighting now.

Rebels in Green Square now say they will rename it Martyrs Square, as it was known originally.

Major celebrations were also taking place in the centre of Libya's second city Benghazi and the coastal town of Misratah.

People have also taken to the streets in cities in Egypt and Tunisia - and in London's Edgware Road - to show solidarity with Libya's rebels.

The quick advance of the rebels came after the fighters captured the base of the Khamis Brigade, 16 miles west of Tripoli.

It is said to be one of the best-trained and equipped units in the Libyan military and is commanded by Col Gaddafi's 27-year-old son Khamis.

The move on Tripoli came after a day of quick progress by the rebels along the main coastal highway from Zawiyah on Sunday.

After six months of conflict between the opposition fighters and Gaddafi's forces, it took 24 hours for the rebels to march unopposed into Tripoli.

The offensive appeared to be helped hugely by Nato's operation in the region.

It revealed 46 strike sorties - which identify and engage appropriate targets, but do not necessarily deploy munitions each time - had been conducted on Sunday alone.

However, Nato said the key hits it carried out in the Tripoli area destroyed a military facility, two radars and nine surface-to-air missile launchers and a tank.

On Sunday, the Libyan government appealed for an immediate ceasefire and an end to Nato's "aggression".

Spokesman for Col Gaddafi's regime, Moussa Ibrahim, told reporters the rebels were nothing without Nato and they would never be able to take Libya.