Mystery over Libyan rebel’s death

29 July 2011 Last updated at 05:45 ET

Mystery surrounds the circumstances of the killing of Libya’s rebel military commander, Gen Abdel Fattah nes, a day after he and two aides were shot.

Rebel leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said they had been killed by gunmen after Gen nes was recalled from the front for questioning by judges.

He said the ringleader of the attack had been held but he gave no details about his identity or the motive.

It is not disclosed where the attack happened; nor where the bodies are.

The general – a former interior minister who had served at the heart of Col Muammar Gaddafi’s regime since the 1969 coup – joined the rebels at the beginning of the Libyan uprising in February.

The BBC’s Ian Pannell in the rebel-held city of Misrata says his defection was seen as a coup for the opposition, but there had been rumours that he had kept contacts with the Gaddafi leadership.

Mr Jalil announced the general’s death late on Thursday, and said the head of the group of men who killed him had been captured.

Mr Jalil, who heads the rebel National Transitional Council, did not say who the assailants were or where the attack took place.

Although the bodies of Gen nes and his aides have not been found, Mr Jalil said there would be three days of mourning in their honour.

Gen nes was due to appear before a panel of judges in the rebel capital, Benghazi.

The exact nature of the questions he was facing is also unclear. Mr Jalil said they regarded military operations.

Some unconfirmed reports said Gen nes and two aides had been arrested earlier on Thursday near Libya’s eastern front.

Shortly after the announcement of their death, gunmen entered the grounds of the hotel in the eastern city of Benghazi where Mr Jalil was speaking, reportedly firing into the air before being convinced to leave.

Ddivisions in Benghazi

Earlier on Thursday, rebels said they had seized the strategically important town of Ghazaya near the Tunisian border, after heavy fighting with Col Gaddafi’s forces.

They reportedly took control of several other towns or villages in the area.

The rebels are struggling to break a military deadlock five months into the uprising against Col Gaddafi’s rule.

Rebels control most of eastern Libya from their base in Benghazi and the western port city of Misrata, while Col Gaddafi retains much of the west, including the capital, Tripoli.

Late on Thursday AFP news agency reported explosions shaking the centre of Tripoli, as state TV reported that planes were flying over the Libyan capital.

Nato, acting under a UN mandate authorising military action for the protection of civilians, has carried out regular air strikes in the Tripoli area.

Our correspondent says his death will feed international suspicions that the rebel cannot be trusted.

South Africa’s ambassador to the UN on Thursday warned that supporters of the rebels were in danger of violating UN sanctions and criticised calls by Western governments for Col Gaddafi to stand down.

The BBC’s Barbara Plett at the UN says the growing trend to grant diplomatic recognition to the Libyan rebels is facing opposition on the Security Council.

About 30 countries have recognised the NTC.

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