Libya rebels: we let Gaddafi son Saif al-Islam escape

On Sunday as they poured almost unopposed into the heart of capital, the National Transitional Council (NTC) announced it had scored a huge propaganda coup by capturing three of the dictator’s six sons Mohammed, Saadi and most importantly of all, Gaddafi’s likely successor Saif al-Islam.

Educated in London and able to boast connections with some of Europe’s most influential politicians, Saif al-Islam had become the public face of his father’s faltering regime in recent months.

The rebels triumphantly announced plans to deliver the 39-year-old to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague where he is wanted along with his father for crimes against humanity.

His capture suggested the fall of Gaddafi was imminent and NTC leader Mustapha Abd El Jalil issued a statement in which he said: “We have confirmed information that our guys have captured Saif Al-Islam. We have given instructions to treat him well so that he can face trial.”

Hours later the ICC in the Netherlands issued an apparent confirmation of the capture with spokesman Fadi el-Abdallah telling reporters they were already discussing details of his hand over with the rebels.

But as the rebels began to celebrate their anticipated victory, Saif al-Islam dealt their morale and credibility a serious blow when he suddenly appeared in the centre of Tripoli to declare that the battle was far from over.

Reporters at the Rixos hotel, not far from Gaddafi’s Bab-al-Azizia compound, were woken in the early hours and told to assemble outside where Saif al-Islam was preparing to address them.

Having pulled up in a white limousine flanked by scores of his armed supporters he told reporters: “I am here to refute lies.”

Saif al-Islam denied he had been captured and insisted he and his father were safe and well and prepared to fight until the end. He and his supporters took reporters on a tour of their strongholds throughout the city and insisted: “We are here. This is our country. This is our people, and we live here, and we die here.

"And we are going to win, because the people are with us. That’s why we are going to win. Look at them - look at them, in the streets, everywhere.”

Asked about the ICC’s claim that he had been arrested by the rebels he replied: “The ICC can go to hell. We are going to break the backbone of the rebels.”

The rebel leadership reacted with shock to news that Saif al-Islam was free, offering little explanation initially other than: “This could be all lies.”

The ICC was also forced to backtrack rapidly on its earlier statement, with a spokesman insisting the organisation had only responded to information it had received.

One suggestion put forward for Saif al-Islam’s escape was that he had been held by a band of rebels who were in fact double agents acting for his father. Once the heat had died down they had set him free in order to score his propaganda coup.

It was also claimed that the multi-millionaire had simply bought his freedom by bribing his captors.

Some experts even suggested that the whole news of his arrest had been manufactured in a botched attempt at propaganda by a naïve rebel leadership.

But yesterday the rebels confirmed that Saif al-Islam had been in their custody but had simply escaped in the chaos of the situation.

Spokesman Hany Hassan Soufrakis said: “He was captured and apparently he escaped. That’s the information we’re getting. To be honest, it’s an embarrassment.”

It was also confirmed that Mohammed, who was arrested at his home in Tripoli as he conducted a television interview, had also escaped from his captors.