|
|---|
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Who shot Gaddafi? New video shows blood pouring from dictator immediately before death but mystery surrounds coup de
Posted by barongan at 1:42 AMThe final bloody moments of Muammar Gaddafi's life were still shrouded in confusion today as conflicting reports emerged about who fired the shot that actually killed him.
Libya's deposed leader was pulled out alive from a drain under a motorway in Sirte, the city of his birthplace, where he had been hiding with a small group of bodyguards.
A clutch of videos have emerged on the internet in which he is seen begging his captors for mercy. His condition varies dramatically, with later footage showing him rambling and drenched in blood.
Wounded and terrified, Gaddafi appeared deluded to the end, asking his captors: 'What did I do to you?' His last words were 'Do you know right from wrong?'
Scroll down for video of Gaddafi's last minutes...
Was this the moment the dictator died? A handgun points at the head of Gaddafi who is facing the ground with his hands behind his back
Fear on his face after being captured in his home town of Sirte, this is Gaddafi in the moments leading up to his death
Final moments: A dazed Gaddafi gesticulates as rebels parade him through Sirte shortly before he was shot
Grimacing in pain: A still from a video taken from the mobile phone of a rebel fighter shows Gaddafi, his face covered in blood, being dragged around by freedom fighters
Losing blood: Gaddafi lifts a hand to his face to see the blood pouring from his wounds. The mobile phone footage shows the dictator slumped against a jeep but still alive
But there have been claims by rebels who witnessed the killing that Gaddafi was actually shot by one of his own bodyguards to spare him further humiliation.
It has also been suggested he was shot during a fight inside an ambulance conveying him to hospital or that he was actually caught in crossfire.
Grisly end: New pictures released today show Gaddafi's scarred corpse on the floor of a freezer where it is being kept before burial
A day Libyans fought for: Gaddafi's eyes are closed and mouth firmly shut as preparations are made for his burial
'He might have been resisting. He might have struggled, tried to escape,' a Libyan revolutionary said.
Pictures of Gaddafi's body show a bullet hole in the temple, which supports claims he was shot at close range.
'They captured him alive and while he was being taken away, they beat him and then they killed him,' a freedom fighter said.
Gaddafi's battered body was paraded through the streets of Sirte to the sound of celebratory gunfire and jubilant shouts.
Another video captured the corpse of the 69-year-old being dragged through the streets of Sirte, to be paraded later before celebrating crowds in the nearby port town of Misrata.
Pleading: Muammar Gaddafi begged with his captors for his life after he was found cowering in a storm drain
Paraded: Gaddafi struggled with his captors in video footage taken by rebel fighters after he was found
Chaotic: Gaddafi was pushed around by rebel fighters, one of whom filmed the incident on a mobile phone
Fear: Becoming increasingly desperate, Gaddafi asked a rebel fighter 'What did I ever do to you'
Terrified: Moments after he begged for his life, Gaddafi was shot dead by rebel fighters
RAF Tornados helped launch the final airstrike by flying surveillance missions which cleared the way for French fighter jets to bomb a Gaddafi convoy.
The astonishing end for the tyrant came after he and loyalist fighters tried to flee Sirte as it was overrun by forces of the National Transitional Council.
Gaddafi was in a convoy of up to 100 vehicles which tried to break out of Sirte – the last centre of resistance after eight months of civil war – early yesterday.
The escape was spotted by Nato which launched two devastating strikes. At least 50 loyalist fighters were killed.
Injured in both legs, Gaddafi made his way with bodyguards through trees. The group hid in two concrete sewers but were spotted by rebels.
A Libyan named Salem Bakeer said that he and his comrades gave chase to Gaddafi and his small retinue of bodyguards after they fled their convoy following the airstrike.
'At first we fired at them with anti-aircraft guns, but it was no use,' said Bakeer.
'Then we went in on foot. One of Gaddafi's men came out waving his rifle in the air and shouting surrender, but as soon as he saw my face he started shooting at me.
Struggle: Video footage shows Gaddafi being hauled off a rebel fighter truck minutes after his capture
Manhandled: The former Libyan leader is propped up against the side of a truck during the melee
Arguing: Gaddafi pictured in chaotic video footage minutes before he was killed
0 Comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
