Bodies of Moammer Gaddafi, son Mutassim have been buried in the desert
Bodies of Moammer Gaddafi, son Mutassim have been buried in the desertMoammer Gaddafi, who for 40 years ruled Libya with fear and violence, was unceremoniously buried at dawn yesterday in an unmarked desert grave.
His inglorious end was witnessed by only two members of Libya's National Transitional Council, who have sworn never to reveal his secret resting place.
As the despot was buried with his son, Mutassim, reports claimed that his favourite son, Saif, was making a desperate bid for the Niger border.
Final Muslim prayers were said over the bodies by Khaled Tantoush, Gaddafi's personal cleric, who was arrested with him.
The rites were also attended by two of Gaddafi's cousins Mansour Dhao Ibrahim, once leader of the feared People's Guard, and Ahmed Ibrahim.
All were captured with Gaddafi after their convoy was attacked by Nato war planes as they tried to flee Sirte, Gaddafi's home town, just after it had fallen.
Abdel Majid Mlegta, an NTC spokesman, said, "The NTC officials were handed the body after the sheikh completed the early morning ceremony and are taking him somewhere very far away into the desert."
"Only two trusted people were assigned to this secret mission," he added. "These are not guards, but very trusted NTC people."
The funeral closed the book on Gaddafi's 42-year rule and the eight-month civil war to remove him, but did not silence international calls for an investigation into his brutal end.
But many ordinary Libyans do not appear to share western concern about the exact circumstances of Gaddafi's death or the propriety of leaving his body on public view, contrary to Muslim practices.
