Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been shot dead near his hometown in the country, officials have confirmed.
Gaddafi was shot several times by a mob of rebels as he tried to flee the town of Sirte on Thursday (20Oct11), according to a spokesman for the National Transitional Council.
Ntc official Abdel Ghogha says, "We can announce to the world that Muammar Gaddafi has been killed on the hands (sic) of revolutionaries, and Gaddafi's tyranny and dictatorship has been finally ended, and this chapter has been closed for Libya and for all the world."
Gaddafi suffered gunshot wounds to both legs and his head, according to reports. Video footage released by rebel fighters appeared to show the former leader's bloodied corpse being dragged through a street.
Gaddafi is believed to have been in hiding in Sirte since he was ousted from power in August (11).