Libya protesters stand firm after 'Gaddafi gone' rumour circulates

Libya was in chaos tonight with anti-government protesters fiercely refusing to be cowed by threats amid swirling rumours that leader Muammar Gaddafi had fled the country.

Only hours after one of Gaddafi’s sons went on national television to warn that the regime would fight “to the last bullet”, fresh demonstrations were planned for the capital Tripoli.

Meanwhile there were celebrations in the country’s second city of Benghazi as rebels claimed to have won control after bloody fighting.

And as reports came in that military planes had attacked civilians in Tripoli two senior air force officers flew their jet fighters to Malta and asked for political asylum.

The two Mirage pilots, both colonels, were allowed to land after they radioed they had left a base near Tripoli and had flown low to avoid detection.

Back in Tripoli the new protests were likely to bring another round of violence after a similar march the night before prompted clashes that lasted until dawn, with snipers firing on protesters.

The People’s Hall, the main building for government gatherings where the country’s equivalent of a parliament holds its sessions several times a year, was set on fire.

The first major sign of discontent in Gaddafi’s government came with the resignation of justice minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil over the “excessive use of force against unarmed protesters”.

The capital was largely shut down, with schools, government offices and most shops closed, as armed members of pro-government organisations called “Revolutionary Committees” circulated in the streets hunting for protesters.

The protests and violence were the heaviest yet in the capital of two million people, a sign of how unrest was spreading after six days of demonstrations in eastern cities demanding the end of Gaddafi’s rule.

There were rumours that Gaddafi had fled to Venezuela but no confirmation and a denial from that country’s government.

His son, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, warned in his TV statement that civil war would break out if protests continued, a theme continued on Libyan state TV, where a pro-regime commentator spoke of chaos and “rivers of blood” turning Libya into “another Somalia”.

Gaddafi’s regime has unleashed the bloodiest crackdown of any Arab country against the wave of protests sweeping the region. More than 200 have been killed in Libya, according to medical officials, human rights groups and exiled dissidents.

Fragmentation is a real danger in Libya, a country of deep tribal divisions and a historic rivalry between Tripoli and Benghazi.

The Arab world’s longest ruling leader in power for nearly 42 years, Moammar Gaddafi has held an unquestioned grip over the highly decentralised system of government he created.

The turmoil in Libya, an OPEC country that is a significant oil supplier to Europe, was raising international alarm. Oil prices jumped to nearly 88 dollars a barrel amid investor concern.

Two leading oil companies, Statoil and BP, said they were pulling some employees out of Libya or preparing to do so.

Portugal sent planes to pick up its citizens and other EU nationals and Turkey sent two ferries to pick up stranded construction workers.

EU foreign ministers were discussing the possible evacuation of European citizens.

Mobs attacked South Korean, Turkish and Serbian workers at building sites around the country.

In Benghazi protesters took over the main security headquarters, known as the Katiba, after bloody clashes yesterday that killed at least 60 people.

Protesters took down the Libyan flag from above Benghazi’s main court and raised the flag of the country’s old monarchy, which was toppled in 1969 by the military coup that brought Gaddafi to power.

There were fears of chaos as young men – including regime supporters – seized weapons from the Katiba and other captured security buildings.

Youth volunteers were directing traffic and guarding homes and public facilities.

Benghazi has seen a cycle of bloody clashes over the past week, as security forces kill protesters, followed by funerals that turn into new protests, sparking new bloody shootings.