As Libyans struggle to unite in anticipation of next month's elections, new details are emerging about the days leading up to the death of Libyan dictator Moammer Gadhafi, and the exact circumstance of how he died. While there have been several different accounts of how Gadhafi was killed after he was captured by rebels this week, a witness told the London Times that rebels shot Gadhafi with his own favorite golden gun in the midst of the chaos.
"Khadafy was first captured by rebels from the east," the source said. "Then the Misrata group showed up to take him. The eastern rebels didn't like this and the soldier pulled Ghadafi's golden gun and shot him, telling the Misrata guys, 'You can have him now'." In addition, the source said that rebels know the person who shot him was, and are calling him a "Libyan hero"—"We know who killed him. He's a Libyan citizen, so we'll protect him. He was under-age, so he can't go to court anyway."
New video footage has emerged which seems to back up this account of events: according to the News, the cell phone video shows Gadhafi bleeding but alive while sprawled on the floor of an ambulance. "A handgun suddenly enters the frame and, as the camera jerks away, shots can be heard. When the camera locates Khadafy again moments later, he appears dead," they describe.
Libya’s ruling National Transitional Council, as well as the United Nations, have questioned the official story (that he was killed amid crossfire), and called for an inquiry: "Was there a fight when transporting him to Misrata? We don’t know. But there was definitely a time gap and I am sure an investigation will happen.” A post-mortem examination was done according to the BBC, and his body was reportedly turned over to his family for a "secret burial" to avoid his grave becoming a shrine.
The LA Times reports that officials are just starting to scratch the surface on how much wealth Gadhafi had stored up: he secretly had more than $200 billion in bank accounts, real estate and corporate investments around the world. It's equal to about $30,000 for every Libyan citizen, and double the amount that Western governments previously had suspected: "No one truly appreciated the scope of it," one source told them.
One other person who is talking to officials is his former aide, Mansour Dhao Ibrahim, the leader of the country’s People Guard. He gave the Times some insights into life with Gadhafi in the days before his death, including Gadhafi's frequent complaints about life on the lam: “He would say: ‘Why is there no electricity? Why is there no water?’ ”
