Gaddafi’s son buried in Tripoli

The funeral of the youngest son of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi has taken place in the capital, Tripoli.

Libya says Saif al-Arab, 29, and three of Col Gaddafi’s grandchildren died on Saturday when Nato missiles hit his villa in the leader’s compound.

His funeral was attended by several thousand people as Nato planes circled in the skies above.

Mourners chanted calls for revenge as the coffin, wrapped in a green Libyan flag, was lowered into the ground.

Visible emotion

Col Gaddafi did not attend Saif al-Arab’s funeral but two other sons, Saif al-Islam and Mohammed, dressed in traditional Libyan garb, both paid their respects at the ceremony.

The BBC’s Christian Fraser, in Tripoli, says that Saif al-Islam arrived at the funeral in a heavily armoured vehicle and said there was visible emotion on his face as the covered remains of his brother were interred.

Libyan officials said Col Gaddafi and his wife were in his Bab al-Aziziya compound at the time of the attack, overnight on Saturday, but escaped unharmed.

Nato officials have acknowledged that there had been a strike in Tripoli late on Saturday.

But they have denied that they were hunting Col Gaddafi to break a stalemate between troops who remain loyal to him and rebels who seek to remove him from power.

Meanwhile, forces loyal to Col Gaddafi were reported to have shelled the rebel-held town of Zintan late on Monday evening.

A rebel spokesman told Reuters that at least 10 Grad rockets landed on the town. BBC