Tuesday, August 23, 2011

DTN News - BATTLE FOR TRIPOLI: Defiant Saif al-Islam Rallies Loyalists

DTN News - BATTLE FOR TRIPOLI: Defiant Saif al-Islam Rallies Loyalists

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 22, 2011: Saif al-Islam, the son of Muammar Gaddafi who was reported captured by Libyan opposition forces on Sunday, has made a defiant public appearance in Tripoli.

Television footage showed Saif, considered the most influential and politically active of Gaddafi's children, pumping his fists in the air, smiling, waving and shaking hands with supporters. At one point, he was pictured holding his arms aloft with each hand making the "V" for victory sign.

"I am here to refute the lies," Saif, 39, said on Monday in reference to reports of his arrest. He later visited the Rixos Hotel, where many members of the foreign media have been based since the conflict started, to speak to foreign journalists.

"We broke the back of the rebels. It was a trap. We gave them a hard time, so we are winning," he said.

Gaddafi's son told journalists that Tripoli, which has been a battleground for the past 24 hours, remained in government hands.

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