Gaddafi son ‘captured in Sirte’

12 October 2011 Last updated at 18:57 ET

Mutassim Gaddafi is an officer in his father’s army and was a national security advisor

Reports from Libya say one of the sons of ousted leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has been captured.

News agencies quoted figures from the National Transitional Council as saying Mutassim Gaddafi had been seized in the family’s embattled hometown of Sirte.

However, officials in the NTC stronghold of Benghazi could not confirm the claims, which have sparked celebratory gunfire in several cities.

NTC forces say they now control most of Sirte, following fierce fighting.

There have been false reports of the capture of senior Gaddafi figures in the past, including Saif and Gaddafi spokesman Moussa Ibrahim.

But if confirmed, Mutassim Gaddafi’s capture would be a major breakthrough for the NTC, says the BBC’s Caroline Hawley in Tripoli.

He is a senior officer in Col Gaddafi’s army and was a national security advisor to his father.

The NTC would want to question him as to the whereabouts of his father and other family members such as Saif al-Islam and Khamis – both in Col Gaddafi’s inner circle – analysts say.

Reuters news agency quoted NTC officials as saying Mutassim was captured as he tried to escape Sirte in a car with a family.

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