also captured and killed in sirte was gadhafi's son, the national security adviser, mutassim. here he is, just two years ago in washington, meeting with secretary of state hillary clinton, during libya's short-lived reconciliation with america. >> thank you. delighted you're here. >> thank you. >> reporter: what a difference a revolution makes. this was mutassim yesterday, bearded and dirty, smoking what must have been his final cigarette. later images show him dead from a chest wound. a summary execution? still on the lam is gadhafi's son and heir apparent, saif al islam. rumored to have been wounded yesterday. are you afraid at all? >> afraid of what? >> reporter: that was saif when we spoke in february. before all this happened, you were known certainly in the west for being a reformer, speaking of the language of reform for libya. but it didn't happen. why did it take this kind of crisis for you to start talking about reform again? wouldn't it have been better to have implemented what you're talking about now, way before -- >> of course. >> reporter: so why not? >> it was

there have been conflicting reports about the capture of colonel gaddafi's son, mutassim, near sirte, where it was believed he was commanding gaddafi loyalists fighters. on the ntc -- one the ntc official said he was taken to been gauzy. either way, it is clear the fight for the town is in its final stages. >> the battle for sirte is almost, but not yet, over. fighters from the transitional government have been celebrating in those areas of the city they now control. - muammar gaddafi fighters are still holding out. reported but unconfirmed capture of colonel gaddafi's son, -- he was thought to lead many of the gaddafi loyalists defending sirte. defenders of the new country have been celebrating. as the city falls, more evidence of human rights abuse is coming to light, including the discovery of at least 15 bodies -- men with their hands tied behind their backs and shot in the head. every building in this city has been partially or completely destroyed. by the time the fighting is over, sirte will be in ruins. there are no civilians celebrating on the streets. it's difficult to see a

that is a way we have seen many pro-gaddafi fighters trying to leave, but mutassim was allegedly stopped with his family yesterday. he was then taken, we think, to misrata, and then we believe on to benghazi. he is a prized asset for the transitional government. he was one of gaddafi's sons, of course. he is reported to have been leading the fighting here in sirte itself. he was quite an accomplished military man of his own standings, and his captor is also and his capture is also another sign that this city is almost in rebel hands. we think 90% of the city has been taken by forces from the transitional government. but there's still pretty intense shelling and firing from a pocket about a kilometer or two in the city where those pro-gaddafi fighters are still holding out. a few this capture proves to be correct, i suppose it is another sort of stab in the heart of those supporters who are trying to hold out, isn't it? >> indeed. we don't know exactly who the fighters are. there are a lot of people being captured, being paid by the gaddafi regime or forced by the gaddafi regime to fight.

one of gadhafi's sons, mutassim also reportedly killed in the fighting in sirte.zer, i know we are awaiting the president. this is the first time wefl heard from him thus far today. >> nobody from the obama administration at least publicly yet has officially confirmed that gadhafi is dead, although numerous members of the house and senate have said he is dead. presumably they're getting their information from the executive branch of the u.s. government. it will be very interesting to hear how the president of the united states, once he walks into the rose garden from the oval office, and carefully reads his statement to the american people and to the world. i should say, how he phrases the language that gadhafi is in fact dead. how far does he in this confirming this? our white house correspondent is standing by. do you have any advance indications on the phrasing that the president might use when he walks to where you are right now, into the rose garden? >> we do, wolf. and it is going to be very, very careful as we understand it from a white house official. not

one of his sons mutassim was said to have been killed with him. but the fates of another, seif al-islam, is not certain. to the libyans celebrating, the exact manner of his death was not important. authorities are planning to bury him in a secret location within the next few hours. bbc news supporting. >> i am joined by the u.k. spokesperson for the libyan democratic party. you have established your understanding as to the exact cause of death. >> after gaddafi was captured, he was beaten up, then he was killed by a young man from misurata 18 years old by the name of bachmann a bahmed. we are in direct contact with the people who did it. >> does that alter the need for an investigation? >> yes, there should be an investigation. the libyan people want to know exactly what happened and we want an investigation. we deserve it. we do not want to go into the next stage of our history without understanding this process. >> there are many urgent demands on libya, on the national transitional council. they have to prove themselves. can they do that? >> th

we turn to libya where a top government official is confirming that moammar gadhafi and his son, mutassim, were buried in a ceremony earlier today. islamic prays were read over the bodies. this comes as libya's national transition council faces increased international pressure and is calling for a full investigation surrounding the time line of gadhafi's death. many top officials insist he was killed in cross fire and not by revolutionary forces, however video evidence appears to suggest otherwise. >>> to turkey where rescuers work desperately searching for survivors buried beneath rubble after sunday's 7.2 magnitude quake that struck the eastern part of the country. 366 people have now been confirmed dead, while more than 1300 have been injured. thousands remain displaced living in cars and tents in near freezing conditions. there's more than 2,000 buildings that have collapsed since sunday. >>> the obama administration is recalling its ambassador syria after "credible threats" against his personal safety. the ambassador, robert ford, has been outspoken against the assad regime, speaking

national transition council said trusted members of the group took the bodies of khaddafi his son mutassim and his defense minister to remote secret location today all three had been on public display nicole's door before final prayers were given and their bodies were moved gadhafi was killed five days ago his convoy was attacked in his hometown of sirte. one of the drivers involved in the hit and run that killed a toddler in china has been charged with manslaughter two year-old wong yoo died last friday for injuries that she suffered in the accident about a week earlier surveillance video shows the rocket hit by two different vehicles off to is ignored by more than a dozen people going around her lifeless body of 24 year-old man has not been charged in her death no word yet if a second driver arrested in the case will be charged republican presidential candidate rick perry announced his economic plan today which includes a 20 percent flat tax he said his plan gives americans a choice between the flat tax or their current income tax rate he wants to reinvent the tax code which runs more th

one of colonel gadhafi sons mutassim was also captured alive in sirte only to be declared dead shortly after libya's interim government claims he also died of his wounds but the latest video we're showing you now clearly shows that the late gadhafi smoking a cigarette as he leans against a wall and then he simply trade sprawled out on the floor completely lifeless well let's get some more reaction now on those latest developments there in libya with journalist and author returns he thanks very much indeed afshin for being with us here on r t now gadhafi is gone so is this the start of a new era for a free libya. a new era well if it's anything like what we've been seeing over the past few days or like how hillary clinton put it in your headlines what sort of era is it going to be not of the nine hundred thirty s. economic crisis of we've seen world powers act like this i mean killing a prisoner of war is an international crime i presume the international criminal court will be hot on the heels of all those major leaders who are responsible for this because we've got to remember there w

. >> ifill: qaddafi's remains-- and those of his son and former defense minister mutassim-- had been displayed in a commercial freezer in misrata. the local military council is now saying they may finally be buried tomorrow. in tripoli, the country's interim leader, mustafa abdul- jalil, announced officials will review the circumstances of qaddafi's death. >> ( translated ): we have indeed requested, based on international demands, that the death of qaddafi be investigated as he died during a clash and crossfire with his supporters. >> ifill: in a new twist, abdul- jalil suggested qaddafi might have been killed by his own supporters to guarantee he never talked about their misdeeds. but even more graphic images have emerged of the deposed dictator's last moments, as he was beaten and dragged in his hometown of sirte. and there are new questions about a mass grave found yesterday in sirte. it contained the bodies of 53 people. human rights watch said they appeared to be qaddafi loyalists who may have been executed by rebel forces. >> libya, libya libya. >> ifill: but days later, many

fast as he can for the mali or the niger border, having watched what happened to his father and to mutassimin an hour, died brutal deaths. i think he wants to get out of the country knowing if he's caught, he probably won't get out alive. >> i know he's being protected by the toureg, the nomadic people who live in the sahara. is he going to hide when he gets across niger, of course, one of his brothers is there, or would he turn himself in? >> i think he will turn himself in, because i think he has a story that will both help explain where he comes from and where he was in the seven years before the insurgency but helps explain where a number of the people in the insurgency come from. one of the reasons he wants out is that's a story some of the national transitional council don't want told. >> let's talk about the choice that he made. some say had he played his cards differently, he could be running a more reformed libya. but there was a moment when he had to choose. you said he made the michael corleone choice. >> by that, i mean for seven years, he was a hero of young reformers and young

fast as he can for the mali or the niger border, having watched what happened to his father and to mutassimwithin an hour, died brutal deaths. i think he wants to get out of the country knowing if he's caught, he probably won't get out alive. >> i know he's being protected by the toureg, the nomadic people who live in the sahara. is he going to hide when he gets across niger, of course, one of his brothers is there, or would he turn himself in? >> i think he will turn himself in, because i think he has a story that will both help explain where he comes from and where he was in the seven years before the insurgency but helps explain where a number of the people in the insurgency come from. one of the reasons he wants out is that's a story some of the national transitional council don't want told. >> let's talk about the choice that he made. some say had he played his cards differently, he could be running a more reformed libya. but there was a moment when he had to choose. you said he made the michael corleone choice. >> by that, i mean for seven years, he was a hero of young reformers and y

the bodies of gadhafi and his son mutassim were then taken deep into the libyan desert to be buried in sacred oath that they would never reveal the location. the body of his defense minister, which was also lying with the other two in the meat locker was handed over to his family and will be your by buried in a family plot. the authorities here are not very concerned about him. they did not want for the grave of gadhafi to become some kind of shrine where any of his faithful mitrally to do whatever bad things they wanted to do in the future. that's not going to happen because it is a secret location in the vast vast libyan desert. the only unresolved problem is his saif believed hiding near niger trying to escape from libya. >> allen pizy, thanks. >>> herman cain is now leading a new cbs/no, times poll in the race for the republican nomination. 25% of republican primary voters said they prefer cain. romney is now second. this were tied for the lead earlier this month. rick perry is now in fifth place. but the race is far from settled. 80% of those asked say it's too early to say who th

allowed to pray over the body before it was buried in the desert, and that he was buried along with mutassimn the desert. that's all we know, really. they wanted to keep this secret to avoid his grave becoming any kind of a shrine to pro-gadhafi supporters, and after almost five days now of lying in that cold storage facility at a market in misrata, he has finally been buried in the desert. the desert that he ultimately came from as a bedouin when he was a young boy. that's where he's gone back to. we don't know the precise location where he's been buried. >> dan, just a day ago we were showing incredible pictures of jubilation, celebration on the streets at the news that the country will move towards a democracy in the next two years. it looks fairly calm where you are right now. how is it on the streets of tripoli right now? >> reporter: yeah. life beginning to get back to some semblance of normality. i don't know how much you can see behind me. traffic is busy out there in the city center today. shops are reopening. i mean, it's just a world away from the last time i was here back in augu