Gaddafi likely to be buried in an unmarked grave today

Misrata: The bodies of Moammar Gaddafi, his son Muatassim and a former aide have been moved from a commercial freezer in a warehouse area of Misrata in anticipation of burial, a security guard said.

Local military spokesman Ibrahim Beitalmal has said the burial is likely to take place. He said the three men would be interred in unmarked graves in a secret location to avoid vandalism.

Asked about the removal of the bodies from the freezer, he said he was unaware of the process of burial getting under way. However, Salem al-Mohandes, a security guard at the warehouse complex, said the bodies were moved late yesterday from the freezer, where they had been on display for the past four days. “Our job is finished,” said al-Mohandes. “He (Gaddafi) was transferred and the military council of Misrata took him away to an unknown location. I don’t know whether they buried him or not.”

An Associated Press Television News team saw three vehicles leave the warehouse area late yesterday. The team then entered the freezer and found it empty.

Ibrahim Beit al-Mal, a spokesman for the Misrata military council, told The Associated Press that he’s “90 percent sure the bodies will be buried today.”

Libya’s leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil said the decisions on what to do with Gaddafi’s body will be governed by a fatwa, or religious edict.

AP