Libya: Unconfirmed News of Gaddafi's Capture

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

Happy news has been coming out of Libya in the last few minutes, leaving Libyan and Arab tweeps rejoicing, with caution, at the new developments. Rumour has it that Libyan dictator Muammar Al Gaddafi has been captured. Here are the first reactions.

Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros tweets:

@SherineT: Libyan TV reporting Muammar Gaddafi has been captured. Still UNCONFIRMED #libya

Libyan Jeel Ghathub reacts:

@Libyan4life: Reuters says NTC official says Colonel Gaddafi captured and wounded in both legs. F Reuters. Always misreporting shit.

Iyad El Baghdadi notes:

@iyad_elbaghdadi: Reports that Gaddafi is captured, not clear if he's dead or alive. #Libya

Egyptian Ahmed Sabry congratulates Libya:

رويترز: القبض على القذافي مصابا في ساقيه الإثنتين ‎#Libya‏ ‎#MABROOK‏ ‎#Congratulations
@Sabrology: Reuters reports that Gaddafi is injured in both his legs. Congratulations Libya.

For Yemeni Al3ini, the world's largest rodent has been captured. Gaddafi has referred to protesters as rodents in his rambling speeches. He tweets:

الجرذ الكبير في ليبيا تم القبض عليه لم يتبقى الا جرذ اليمن عليه ان يسلم نفسه الى اقرب مركز شرطة


@al3ini
: The largest rodent has been arrested in Libya. Now what is left for the Yemeni rodent to surrender himself to the nearest police station. 

And, like many, Old Holborn jokes:


@Old_Holborn
: Gadaffi to claim full mobility allowance shocker

Egyptian Adel Abdel Ghafar adds:

@dooolism: If Rumors are true and #Qadaffi is captured, I wonder if he has grown a bad-ass Sadam style I am on the run beard?

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.

Thumbnail image of Muammar Gaddafi (02/03/2011) by Flickr user B.R.Q (CC BY 2.0).

1 comment

  • Pocc_london

    At the moment all we are getting is rumours – many of them contradictory.
    My impression, from reading varius reports, is that he was captured alive, but critically injured and soon after died. That is quite probably wrong, but would expain some contradictions about him being captured alive, or being dead.
    If he is dead, it has deprived the Libyan people of the trial the country needed. If he was captured alive and died soon afterwards, at least he would have known that the game was up. He would have known and seen that he had lost and was finished. And he hopefully would have felt some fear at what would become of him.

Join the conversation

Authors, please log in »

Guidelines

  • All comments are reviewed by a moderator. Do not submit your comment more than once or it may be identified as spam.
  • Please treat others with respect. Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.