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Seif al-Islam Gaddafi still on the run

Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam has appeared at a Libyan hotel despite reports of his capture during the opposition forces’ move into the capital Tripoli a day earlier.

In a convoy with armed men, Seif arrived at Tripoli’s Rixos Hotel, where he claimed the revolutionaries had been lured into a trap and that pro-Gaddafi forces will crush them.

Libya’s National Transitional Council had informed the media of his detention, but provided no proof of the seizure.

The International Criminal Court had previously confirmed the capture of Seif, who along with his father faces charges of crimes against humanity.

Following reports that opposition fighters had captured three of Gaddafi’s sons, Seif al-Islam, Muhammad, and Saadi, it was announced that Muhammad had escaped and Seif al-Islam was never captured.

Months of NATO airstrikes have left Gaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli largely demolished. Most of his security forces fled or surrendered when the fighters rolled into the capital on Sunday night and took control of most of the city.

A mood of joy mixed with trepidation settled over the Libyan capital, with the opposition still fighting pockets of fierce resistance from regime loyalists who continue firing mortars and anti-aircraft guns.

Speaking in Tripoli, Mohammed Abdel-Rahman, a spokesman for the revolutionary forces, said the “danger is still there” as long as Qaddafi remains on the run.

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