Libyan leader’s son reappears defiantly one day after his reported capture
Fighting continued in Tripoli on Tuesday near Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s compound. Machine gun fire and explosions could be heard, and Al-Jazeera reported that rebel forces had surrounded the residential compound and military barracks, known as Bab al-Aziziya. Some rebels had even breached its main gates, the news agency reported. Gadhafi’s whereabouts remain unknown. Both rebels and Gadhafi loyalists claim to control parts of the capital. One rebel spokesperson said pro-Gadhafi forces are positioned on the outskirts of Tripoli, and could make a push back into the city. Gadhafi’s son and rumoured heir, Saif al-Islam, also made a bewildering reappearance a day after reports emerged from the International Criminal Court and the rebel forces that he had been captured. He walked into hotel where foreign journalists are staying and offered a message of defiance, asserting that Gadhafi forces have the support of the people and that they will prevail. Meanwhile, due to continued violence in Tripoli, a ship sponsored by the International Organization for Migration delayed its scheduled rescue of 300 Filipino migrant workers from the capital.