Libya’s new government has confirmed that Muammar Gaddafi has finally been buried in secret in the desert after controversy about the grisly display of his decomposing corpse for nearly four days after his death.
Two members of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) were reportedly entrusted with the burial in an unknown location – chosen to avoid the risk of the grave becoming a shrine for supporters or, more likely, being desecrated by vengeful opponents. The two officials are understood to have been sworn not to divulge the location.
Gaddafi was buried alongside his son Mutassim and army commander Abu Bakr Younis after Muslim prayers were recited over the bodies by Gaddafi’s personal cleric, Khaled Tantoush. The corpses were then removed from the compound in the coastal city of Misrata where they had been on public show in a meat refrigerator since last Thursday.
NTC spokesman Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters that the last rites were attended by two of Gaddafi’s cousins, Mansour Dhao Ibrahim, once the commander of the People’s Guard, and Ahmed Ibrahim. Both were captured with Gaddafi after Nato fighter jets attacked their convoy near Sirte, Gaddafi’s home town.
Ibrahim Beitalmal, another spokesman, was quoted by AP as saying that the burial took place at 5am (4am BST). “The NTC officials were handed the body after the sheikh completed the early morning ceremony and are taking him somewhere very far away into the desert,” Mlegta said.
Many ordinary Libyans do not appear to share western concern about the exact circumstances of Gaddafi’s death or the propriety of leaving his body on public view, contrary to Muslim practices.
Pictures of his corpse continue to be published in Libyan newspapers and shown on TV. Freshly-painted graffiti on the streets of Tripoli – in Arabic and English – read: “Dictator Gaddafi sent a message to the Libyan people…, saying: ‘I am staying here.’ ”
In a further disturbing development, images are circulating on the internet apparently showing Gaddafi being sodomised with a stick or metal rod while still alive. The footage was shot on a mobile phone and includes sounds of gunfire and shouts of “Allahu akbar.”
On Monday the NTC leader, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, promised an investigation into the exact circumstances of Gaddafi’s death. Initial reports suggested he was killed in crossfire as his supporters clashed with rebel forces seizing control of Sirte, but it seems likely that he was captured alive and then killed deliberately.
{The Guardian/Matzav.com Newscenter}
