muammar-qaddafi

Here's the Clearest Video Yet of Gaddafi's Capture

Max Read · 10/23/11 09:36AM

Libyan news organization Freedom Group just posted this video of the moments directly after Libyan rebels captured former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. It's the clearest video yet of Gaddafi's arrest, and unsettling to watch; as in previous videos, there's no direct evidence that the dictator was summarily executed (as has been speculated), but the footage of a bloody, seemingly terrified Gaddafi being shoved and hit in the head doesn't inspire faith in the restraint of his captors. (Michael Van Poppel of Breaking News, working off this Global Post video of the same scene, thinks that Gaddafi was "sodomized" by one of his captors, apparently with a rifle.)

Muammar Gaddafi Might Have Been the Richest Person in the World

Max Read · 10/22/11 10:45AM

Everyone knew late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was rich—he had a gun made of gold! But he might have been even richer than anyone thought—like, net-worth-of-$200-billion rich, making him the richest person on the planet. Gaddafi was the .0000001%!

Qaddafi's Son Is Bisexual and Other Things the New York Times Doesn't Want You to Know

John Cook · 09/16/11 12:48PM

Now that Wikileaks has been forced by circumstance to release the full, unredacted archive of its 250,000-plus classified diplomatic cables, we can see what the New York Times voluntarily redacted, at the request of the State Department, from the cables that it published. Among the things it hid: Muammar Qaddafi has a bisexual son, and a Reuters correspondent is a source for State Department intelligence.

Qaddafi's 'Playboy' Son Flees to Niger

Jeff Neumann · 09/12/11 01:00AM

Saadi Qaddafi, perhaps the least repulsive of Muammar Qaddafi's repulsive spawn, has turned up in Niger as transitional forces fight remaining Qaddafi loyalists. Despite being "cornered" about a half dozen different times, the Colonel remains at large.

Muammar Qaddafi Is a Fugitive Now

John Cook · 09/09/11 10:00AM

Interpol has issued a so-called "Red Notice"—an international arrest warrant—for Muammar Qaddafi and one of his sons. It appears that high-level Libyan officials are fleeing to Niger, and if Qaddafi were indeed found there the Red Notice would ostensibly obligate that country's officials to hand him over to the International Criminal Court. It was a similar Red Notice that ensnared Julian Assange, and we all know how that turned out.

Qaddafi to Enemies: You're All 'Scumbags'

Jeff Neumann · 09/08/11 04:04AM

Resilient crazy person Muammar Qaddafi — despite claims from Libya's transitional forces and just about everyone else that he's cornered in the Sahara, or in hiding in Niger, or sipping cocktails with Robert Mugabe — released a new audio message today to Al-Rai TV and (predictably) it's delusional:

Surprise! CIA Had 'Close Ties' to Libyan Intelligence

Max Read · 09/03/11 03:11PM

The best part of toppling a dictator, besides freedom, is getting to rifle through the papers of the intelligence bureaucracy. Who knows what you'll find! Like, say, a big binder that says "C.I.A." and two others that say "M.I.-6"!

Former State Department Official Advised Qaddafi While We Were Bombing Him

John Cook · 08/31/11 03:33PM

Buried in the rubble of Muammar Qaddafi's Tripoli compound is a sheaf of documents indicating that David Welch, the assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs under the Bush Administration who now works for infrastructure giant Bechtel, was providing urgent and detailed advice to the Qaddafi regime as the NATO bombs fell.

Just When You Thought the Qaddafis Couldn't Get Any Worse

Jeff Neumann · 08/29/11 03:22AM

Coverage of the war in Libya has exposed an incredible amount of atrocities — by both Qaddafi loyalists and rebels. And the video report below, by CNN's Dan Rivers, is yet another awful addition to the formers' crimes. Rivers visited a vacation home that belonged to Muammar's youngest son, Hannibal, and his wife Aline Skaff, a Lebanese former model. There he found a woman who was essentially a slave to Hannibal and Aline, and was repeatedly tortured. Hannibal — whose party crew recently included Beyoncé and Usher — has a long history of beating servants and general scumbaggery. So while it's not surprising that he and his wife would abuse this woman, what Aline did to her is horrifying.

Rebels Continue Fight as Qaddafi Remains Defiant

Jeff Neumann · 08/24/11 04:42AM

Yesterday, Libyan rebels took control of Muammar Qaddafi's Bab al-Azizya air-conditioned tent compound, and celebrated by wearing his clothes, driving his golf cart, and firing heavy weapons into the air. It was a tactical and symbolic victory, but the six-month-long war is not over. Here's a roundup of some of the latest news out of Libya.

Rebels Are Inside Qaddafi's House

Adrian Chen · 08/23/11 10:55AM

According to reports, "hundreds of Libyan rebels" have stormed Muammar Qaddafi's compound at Bab al-Aziziya. There's still fighting going on, though Reuters reports that Libyan rebels have entered Qaddafi's home in the compound. Jubilant rebels are bringing out official government files from the compound and showing them to CNN's reporter right now.

Fugitive Qaddafi Son to World: 'Go to Hell'

Jeff Neumann · 08/23/11 04:20AM

Col. Muammar Qaddfi's high-profile son Seif al-Islam was said to have been captured late Sunday night by Libyan rebels — a claim that was repeated by the International Criminal Court in the Hague where Seif is charged with war crimes along with his father. But early this morning, Seif showed up at Tripoli's Rixos Hotel in a white limo to talk a little shit to foreign journalists. He even took reporters on a guided tour: "We are going to hit the hottest spots in Tripoli."

Where In The World Is Colonel Qaddafi?

Adrian Chen · 08/22/11 10:00AM

Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi's reign is crumbling; two of his sons have been captured. But as rebels besiege Qaddafi's Bab Azaziya compound, nobody knows where the gristle-headed strongman is. Is he cowering beneath a human shield of Amazonian bodyguards in his compound? Is he sneaking off to Venezuela?

Muammar Qaddafi: A Photographic Retrospective

Jeff Neumann · 08/22/11 06:23AM

Libyan Colonel Muammar Qaddafi is enjoying his last tango in Tripoli (or Venezuela, or Zimbabwe) while rebels search for him and fight pockets of regime loyalists in the city. Since he finally seems to be on the ropes, here's a quick look back at the Brother Leader. [Image via AP]