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Col Gaddafi 'to be buried in secret, desert grave' Col Gaddafi 'buried in secret, desert grave at dawn'
(40 minutes later)
There are unconfirmed reports that the body of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is being prepared for burial. The bodies of ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, his son Muatassim and a top aide have been buried in secret in the desert, Libyan officials say.
Witnesses said the body of Col Gaddafi, his son and a former aide were taken overnight from the cold storage facility in Misrata where they have been on public view. A National Transitional Council (NTC) official told the BBC the bodies were buried at dawn in an unknown location.
The BBC cannot independently verify the reports. This follows days of apparent uncertainty among the new leadership about what to do with the bodies.
There has been uncertainty among the transitional Libyan leadership about what to do with the bodies. Colonel Gaddafi's family wanted the bodies to be buried outside the former leader's hometown of Sirte.
Colonel Gaddafi's family had requested the return of the bodies so they could be buried "in accordance with Islamic customs and rules". But officials from the NTC had expressed a preference for a secret burial.
But officials from the National Transitional Council (NTC) had expressed a preference for a secret burial.
'Unknown location''Unknown location'
An NTC official told Reuters news agency that Col Gaddafi would be buried in a "simple" ceremony with "sheikhs attending" on Tuesday. The NTC's Guma Al Gamaty confirmed the burial to the BBC.
The Associated Press earlier reported that it received confirmation in a text from a military council official in Misrata that the burial took place at a secret location at 05:00 local time. A few relatives and officials were in attendance as Islamic prayers were read over the bodies, spokesman Ibrahim Beitalmal is quoted as saying.
An NTC official had earlier told Reuters news agency that Col Gaddafi would be buried in a "simple" ceremony with "sheikhs attending" on Tuesday.
"It will be an unknown location in the open desert," he said, adding that a burial was needed because decomposition of the body had reached the point where the "corpse cannot last any longer"."It will be an unknown location in the open desert," he said, adding that a burial was needed because decomposition of the body had reached the point where the "corpse cannot last any longer".
A security guard at the meat storage warehouse in Misrata where Col Gaddafi's body has been held told al-Jazeera that the three bodies had been moved late on Monday - but could not confirm if they would be buried. Witnesses reported that the bodies of the three men were removed overnight from the meat storage warehouse in Misrata where they had been on display.
"Our job is finished," Salem al Mohandes said. "[Gaddafi] was transferred and the military council of Misrata took him away to an unknown location." A security guard at the warehouse confirmed the move to the Arabic television station al-Jazeera.
An Associated Press Television News team confirmed it saw three vehicles leave the warehouse area late on Monday, and when they entered the facility the bodies were no longer there. "Our job is finished," Salem al Mohandes said. "[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."
The BBC's Katya Adler in Tripoli says rumours of a secret burial in the desert for the deceased leader are gathering pace in the Libyan capital, but there is no official confirmation of it yet. An Associated Press Television News team said it saw three vehicles leave the warehouse area late on Monday, and when they entered the facility the bodies were no longer there.
She says the question of how to dispose of Col Gaddafi's body has been a political minefield for the new Libyan leadership, and is the reason why it has taken four days for a decision to be taken. The BBC's Katya Adler in Tripoli says the question of how to dispose of Col Gaddafi's body has been a political minefield for the new Libyan leadership, and is the reason why it has taken four days for a decision to be taken.
They were concerned that any public grave could become a shrine for Gaddafi loyalists or as a target of hatred for those who opposed his regime.They were concerned that any public grave could become a shrine for Gaddafi loyalists or as a target of hatred for those who opposed his regime.
But, in the end, our correspondent says, the decomposition of the body meant the NTC had to act.But, in the end, our correspondent says, the decomposition of the body meant the NTC had to act.
Concern over how the 69-year-old former leader died in the aftermath of his capture in Sirte has led the NTC to form a committee to investigate how Col Gaddafi died. Questions have been raised over the former leader's death after video footage showed him alive at the time of capture in Sirte on Thursday. Officials said he had been killed subsequently in a crossfire.
There have been accusations he was executed by NTC troops. A post-mortem carried out on the 69-year-old's body on Sunday showed he had received a bullet wound to the head, medical sources said.
The acting Libyan leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, said the NTC had formed a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.