2011/10/24

Jeffrey Kofman: Gadhafi's Heirs: Dead Dictator's Sons Speak OutI

Just one of Moammar Gadhafi's eight children is still accounted for following the Libyan dictator's death last week, and although he is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court, Libya's former heir apparent is still trying to reclaim his father's glory. Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi, the London-educated son who was to succeed his father and carry on the dynasty is possibly still at large. Libya's interim government had said he was captured this weekend, but at the same time, the 39-year old appeared on Syrian television. "We continue our resistance. I'm in Libya, alive, free and intend to go to the very end and extract revenge," Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi was heard saying on Syrian TV. "I say go to hell, you rats and NATO behind you. This is OUR country, we live in it, and we die in it, and we are continuing the struggle." The short message was broadcast on Syrian TV station Al-Rai on Sunday, and was soon uploaded by several users onto YouTube. It's not clear if the audio-only message was broadcast live or was a recording. The Al-Rai station broadcasts into Libya, and in the past has broadcast messages from Moammar Gadhafi. As the hunt for Saif intensifies, his brother Saadi Gadhafi, who escaped the country in September as rebel forces began to close in, has publicly lashed out about the death of his father and brother.

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