Former Muammar Gaddafi spokesman captured

A British-educated Libyan who became the public face of the Col Muammer Gaddafi’s regime during its final months has been captured in or near the loyalist town of Bani Walid, Libya’s caretaker deputy premier and military figures announced on Saturday. Musa Ibrahim, said to be a member of Col Gaddafi’s clan, was among the most curious characters that emerged during the conflict between the deposed regime and Nato-backed rebels now dominating the oil-rich country.

Militiamen from the city of Misurata say he was captured exactly a year to the date after Col Gaddafi’s capture and death. Mr Ibrahim’s capture, if confirmed, could further embolden militiamen who have ignored the weak civilian leadership in Tripoli and a launched a multi-pronged attack on Bani Walid to rid it of alleged Gaddafi loyalists to avenge the death of one of their own.

The capture, first posted to a Facebook news page used by Misurata rebels, attributed news of the capture to Lotfi Amin, described as a Libyan army official. Caretaker deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur later confirmed the capture on his

Mr Ibrahim was alleged caught while trying to escape from Bani Walid to Tarhouna another nearby loyalist stronghold. A report later said he had been transferred to Mitiga air base in Tripoli.

Previous reports of Mr Ibrahim’s capture turned out to be false. But a Libyan television channel said it would soon air images of the captive

During the civil war last year, Mr Ibrahim appeared frequently on television to defend the regime while staying at the luxury Tripoli hotel that housed many international journalists.

Sporting a crisp British accent, he voiced a hard line against the rebels, often adopting the rhetoric of Col Gaddafi in referring to the rebel fighters as “gangs” and criminals.

He could often be seen in the lobby and cafés of the Rixos Hotel, hobnobbing with journalists or strolling with his German wife and infant son, who accompanied him to Libya during his stint as the regime’s most public face.

He disappeared following the August 2011 collapse of Gaddafi’s rule in Tripoli but later posted defiant messages and audio footage.

His reported capture comes as militiamen continue a full-scale assault on the city of Bani Walid, a stronghold of the Wurfulla tribe that is Libya’s largest. Fighters from the city of Misurata initiated the attack following the death of Omar Shabaan, a key figure in the capture of Col Gaddafi who later allegedly died as a result of wounds he sustained while in the custody of Bani Walid residents.

Young fighters from Misurata and Tripoli rejected calls for negotiations by senior politicians and tribal elders in launching the attack, which has resulted in at least 10 deaths.