gadhafi seems to have vanished. rebels are scouring tripoli but they haven't turned up any sign of him. one of the first places they checked was gadhafi's compound. sara sidner talked to a rebel who hasn't completely crossed the compound off his list. >> so you were told that gadhafi and his special forces, the people that protect him, were inside this compound. >> yes. >> but you did not ever see them? >> maybe they are under the ground. >> you think they might be in tunnels under the ground? >> as the search goes on for the libyan leader, in an exclusive interview with cnn a former aide called for an end to the violence and talked about what gadhafi believes his job is now. >> he said that he has a job. and we have to continue our job. job is to stop the rebellions. and we have right to do so. that is what he is convincing all of that. >> meanwhile, libya's national transitional council says it's ready to take over, but its credibility has been questioned after it said it had captured moammar gadhafi's sons. soon

this is gadhafi's wife's name, amira. -- sorry. not gadhafi's wife. can you still hear me? >> yes, yes, sara. you're running the show. keep telling us what you're seeing and hearing from these rebels. just reminding viewer that sara has been reporting that the rebels are staying they're inside the compound. i don't know if we can bring up that animation. this is not a small compound, this is a large compound. it will be difficult to take, there are multiple buildings in there, and a lot of open ground, so how well entrenchntrenched a have their backs against the wall. i would imagine there's no reason to give up, they've got nowhere to go, sara. >> reporter: i'm not sure if you guys can hear me. >> we hear you, sara. go ahead. >> reporter: if you can, this neighborhood has gone wild. rebels are scream iing ala akba. this one is -- the young man who saw gadhafi's son who came to the the son of gadhafi, they say they captured and showed up last night and spoke with with our matthew chance in the hotel where the international journalists, but now they have the finals saying we

gadhafi is finished. gadhafi is finished. now we have freedom. >> reporter: we are in green square, and there's just a few people left, but the rebels are saying there will be a massive battle here. they do not have full control of the city. >> at the moment we are not in full control of tripoli. you can see that. >> reporter: what does this -- how do you feel about this day? you are from tripoli. why is this day important? historic day? >> historic day, because we have to -- and now we had to fight. it's my first time to handle a gun. >> reporter: the civilians are gone from here and now we also have to leave. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: what's happening as everyone starts running, we are here in the middle of tripoli. what we're seeing is rebels all over the square. there are really no civilians, mostly men with guns in the square, but we are also seeing people running. there's a lot of gunfire. they say they are snipers. the situation is very tense here, but there's a lot of celebrating going on. some of this is gunfire in th

tonight's radio message from gadhafi and last night's sudden appearance by ssaif gadhafi. as it unfolds you have seen sara sidner, matthew chance, arwa damon is at tripoli international airport on the phone from the libyan capital as well. sara, i know your camera lights are causing people to shoot off their guns in celebration. but when your camera isn't on, is that the same scene? >> reporter: yes, actually it has been today. this evening it was quiet when the camera wasn't on, quiet as in there wasn't as much blasting into the air. people were just coming up and shaking our hands and handing us candy and trying to give us paraphernalia. as the night goes on, then the blasts start going and people want to show their appreciation in that way by blasting into the air and show their excitement, really. but throughout the day, that was happening whether or not we were rolling, not rolling, standing there or watch iing showing the can do whatever they want and they want to show the world that gadhafi and the regime is broken. but what you were seeing in the square earlier has

tonight's radio message from gadhafi and last night's sudden appearance by ssaif gadhafi. as it unfolds you have seen sara sidner, matthew chance, arwa damon is at tripoli international airport on the phone from the libyan capital as well. sara, i know your camera lights are causing people to shoot off their guns in celebration. but when your camera isn't on, is that the same scene? >> reporter: yes, actually it has been today. this evening it was quiet when the camera wasn't on, quiet as in there wasn't as much blasting into the air. people were just coming up and shaking our hands and handing us candy and trying to give us paraphernalia. as the night goes on, then the blasts start going and people want to show their appreciation in that way by blasting into the air and show their excitement, really. but throughout the day, that was happening whether or not we were rolling, not rolling, standing there or watching showing they can do whatever they want and they want to show the world that gadhafi and the regime is broken. but what you were seeing in the square earlier has

where is moammar gadhafi? >> in tripoli i guess. >> in tripoli. >> i guess. >> where in tripoli? >> i wish i know, then i can tell to get him straight away, i think in tripoli, probably in his compound, which is a stronghold, maybe one of the hospital hospitals. >> he's often gone to hospitals like it's a human shield that no one would bomb a shot hospital. >> that's right. >> you think he might be in one of the hospitals in. >> exactly, children hospitals, maternity hospitals. >> you any it's a matter of time before they find him? >> i hope so. i think to find him is a crucial matter. it's important for security. >> what will you do with him, your government once you find him? >> i think the libyan people have to answer this question. let us find him first and then the libyans will take care of him. there are two options i think there is no third one. >> what are the two options? >> he presents to the libyan court or the libyans decide to send him to the icc? >> what do you personally prefer? >> to me maybe i

moammar gadhafi's whereabouts are unknown now. earlier there were explosions near the leader's bab al aziziya compound in southern tripoli. the european union is calling on gadhafi to step down from power. the rebels say they captured three of colonel gadhafi's seven surviving sons. prosecutors for the international criminal court say they hope to put saif gadhafi on trial, but a libyan rebel spokesman said the libyan people should be the ones to decide whether to handover gadhafi's sons to the icc. >>> it's been startling for all of us watching from afar to see the libyan rebels move so quickly to tripoli over the weekend. how could it have happened so fast? jonathan mann spoke with nic robertson in washington. >> reporter: tripoli had, while we were there, while the nato bombing began and gadhafi's forces still controlled the capital, a ring of steel around it. the brigade there was controlling the capital and was able to draw on munitions from multiple bases from inside the city which have become nato's principle targets inside

they can catch sure confidants of gadhafi but until they have gadhafi captured dead or alive, people are still, even in benghazi, are somewhat apprehensive. he's been a bogeyman to everyone. a chance his followers might take up arms is still very real. >> if you are in libya, you can show us the scene on the ground. you can share your story. logon to c dmchnn ireport.com. put your own safety first. if you can get to the website we'd love to hear from you. >>> this is something from a blog her libya. a blogger who has not been able to blog since april of this year, went ahead and posted something. here it is. i'm safe and well in libya. it's been a long, hard six months but i made it. the internet has been turned on and i'm slowly sifting through over 2,000 e-mails. thanks to all who have commented, e-mailed, worried and prayed for me, i will update just as soon as i can, just so busy celebrating. again, that from a blogger we've been following, really, since the beginning of the protest so great to see that post come up. >>> we'll keep you up to date on the very latest right here on

son, fleeing of gadhafi himself. in fact, team effort obviously on our jennifer griffin reporting she spoke to a senior u.s. defense official that is corroborating the same information we are getting from the white house. this official telling jennifer griffin we cannot confirm these reports at this stage about gadhafi's son potentially being captured. it is clear momentum is on the side of the rebels. we got a statement a short time ago from the u.s. state department. they say the president, and secretary of state clinton are getting regular updates on the situation. they also added that basically they believe it is important for the rebels to be thinking about what happens in a post gadhafi world. to be prepared for that possibility. the state department's statement saying that they believe that gadhafi's days are numbered. again, they don't want to get ahead of the facts. they want to let this play out. number two, they are trying to send that signal to the rebels there's a concern obviously within the u.s. govern

because we're not sure if gadhafi himself is there, but gadhafi's loyalists remain inside gadhafi's compound. his compound is nothing like the white house or another presidential compound. gadhafi lived on a military base and his fourss inside that military base are defending it, making a final stand. they were firing rockets and mortars out of that base today into civilian areas. that's one woen reason we haven't seen huge crowds in green irsquare, or martyr square. the rebels are convinced their next step has to be an assault on gadhafi's compound to finish his last hold on power in tripoli and across the country. >> thank you, richard. i talked to richard engel far too frequently when there's gunfire that near him. nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel reporting from green square, as richard said, now renamed martyr square by anti-gadhafi forces that have taken over that country and that city. in terms of the gadhafi regime, you will see the color green referenced over and over again. and things called green by the gadhafi regime are the first things to go as gadhafi

now, muammar al gadhafi has ruled libya for 42 years. >> reporter: gadhafi took power at the age of 27. when he led against the king. he was a fierce opponent of the west initially. and he's long been accused of repressing any opposition. in 1988, libya was blamed for the bombing of an airliner over the scottish town of lockerbie. the united nations imposed economic sanctions. in 2003, libya accepted responsible for the lockerbie bombing and said it would abandon its plan to develop weapon of mass destruction. libya's relations with the west improved in later years thanks to its oil and gas reserves. gadhafi made his first speech at the u.n. in 2009 but he was still defiant. he criticized the u.n. and threw the charter to the floor. several days after the fall of egyptian president hosni mubarak in february, there were antigovernment demonstrations in libya for the first time since gadhafi took power. the protest gained momentum from senior military officers who had defected from the government. the government deployed foreign mercenaries to crack down on protesters. >> reporter: in ma

, saif gadhafi. has there been any reaction to the rebel leaders to this sudden reappearance? after all, he was claimed to be in rebel custody. we're join from the libyan city of benghazi, which of course is headquarters for the opposition movement. fred, this seems almost rather embarrassing for the rebels in a way. >> well, certainly seems like a reaction from people on the ground. they've been stunned that they heard that he was not in the custody of rebel fighters there in tripoli. it is something they've said at the head of the transitional council that he was in custody. there hasn't so far been any sort of reaction to this from the leadership of the transitional national council. they haven't seechb told us that they know he was ever in custody or whether they simply went ahead and said something that they had no confirmation of in the first place. i wouldn't say that it reverses momentum or anything or decreases their momentum. it is something that stunned a lot of people. of course, charles,

when gadhafi was in power. now the rebels who have taken over say this is martar square dedicated to those who have died in this fight, in this revolution. they have been here. we were here with them overnight at 3:00 in the morning. it's now 3:00 something in the afternoon and they are still firing shots into the air. i should mention, though, while you have these guys firing shots into the air and celebrating, you do have still a firefight going on and we have a situation with international correspondents in a hotel that everyone has come to know about. and it's one of those situations where you do start to wonder, you know, at some point, i think, the rebels have to organize and get down to business and we're not seeing that all over the city. we do know that they are in control of much of the city, but we also know there are areas where there are still snipers that are believed to be in buildings and there are still fighting and, yet, you have this celebratory gunfire. you have to wonder why they are not ge

they say they have captured three of gadhafi's sons. the question mark is moammar gadhafi himself. the man who ruled libya for 42 years is con pick us in terms of absence. no such luck to reach him. the state department has tried. let's try the pentagon. chris lawrence, what are your sources saying at dod? >> brooke, there's been a lot of speculation that perhaps he slipped out of the country at some point. but the pentagon today was knocking down that speculation. saying that from what they have seen, they believe that moammar gadhafi is still within libya. now, they're not getting into the particular intelligence assets that they may have to get that information or trying to specify where specifically they think he is. but they do believe he is still within the country. >> chris, i understand that libyan government officials were close to gadhafi, they were reaching the gadhafi folks, reaching out to the obama administration right up until the rebels started taking and claiming tripoli. i was talking to mike baker, former cia ops, he said no way in terms of negotiations, that win

and gadhafi forces are still putting up resistance particularly around his compound, but meanwhile, gadhafi's whereabouts are still unknown at this hour. we heard from president obama a half hour ago. >> the situation is still very fluid. there remains a degree of uncertainty, and there are regime elements who pose a threat, but this much is clear, the gadhafi regime is coming to an end. >> and again, that was the president just a short time ago and that does it for this edition of "newsnation" and thank you so much for joining us for the hour. i'm tamron hall and be sure to catch "newsnation" and we are live from the cbc jobs fair in miami and a lot of questions of the the job fair is working and how many people have secured interviews at this town halls and job fairs? martin bashir is up next. in hery can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ morning starts with arthritis pain... that's tw

moammar gadhafi. an unprecedented move. everyone surprised. but the rebels say they are doing that because we have control of gadhafi's compound. >> how far are you from the hotel where matthew chance and other reporters are right now. allegedly under the protection of libyan government troops? >> reporter: we're in walking distance, anderson. in walking distance. we feel very nervous for our colleagues. we feel very nervous. there is a lot of honking. we have been watching the situation here and nobody really wants to be in the situation where they are under the protection of gadhafi forces, because clearly in in city, the rebels have it. we have driven through here today, and each and every checkpoint has gotten much more strict. there are more checkpoints. they clearly control much of the city, and i think right now, any gadhafi forces in and around the area would be fearful and they would be thinking that they would be fighting for their lives and that's certainly what we've seen in pockets, but e

in the district that is still under gadhafi control. by the way, the entire town of sert is still under loyalist control. so we are still a ways away from this being over. >> libya is so different than when we try to compare it to iraq with the people resooifding in libya. it is tribally divided. in iraq it was religiously diversified between shiites and sunnis. explain to all of us as we watch the people there trying to absorb this and drink this in so desperate for their freedom, how do they trust the filter of corruption from the top? >> yes, well, gadhafi came to power in a military coup and spent the last four decades making sure nothing like that would happen to him. there's no centralized government. there's no strong military base as there was say in egypt. you have about 100 different tribes, different loyalties, the military itself is broken along tribal lines. the national transitional council has former regime loyalists, it has a number of different militia groups that don't get along well with each other or are not communic

captured two of moammar gadhafi's sons. that now is clearly untrue. how much do you now believe from what the rebels are telling us? >> well, i think it is not completely untrue, because i think muhammed gadhafi was really in the hands of the opposition forces and they gave him -- they guaranteed his security and his safety and left him at home and then he escaped. anyway, i think maybe there is -- there is something wrong with the security system of the opposition certainly, but it is understandable in a question like tripoli, a very large city with two -- almost two million inhabitants and with the opposition forces coming, many of them from the outside of the city, so mistakes can take place. but anyway, i am not sure whether saif al islam was in the hands of the opposition or not, but muhammed, certainly he was in their hands. >> thank you very much, mr. ambassador. i've actually got reza here who's an expert. put this in some kind of context for us because clearly this information as one of the people said there is par

you have tribes that have been loyal to gadhafi. the right hand man of gadhafi. that tribe has always held a powerful position in government. what will they settle for now? there are more moderate liberal elements. there are other elements within the transitional national council as we know it today. and this is what may slow the sort of arrival, if you will, or the announcement of any sort of transitional government. this may be the simplest one. >> and of course what happens to gadhafi's inner circle is not the only big question here. >> french and african sources have expressed fear that some of the weapons have fallen into control of al qaeda. to kidnap westerners. >> of course they have proven they can beat the forces. >> can the rebels run? e interna. but for some of us with overactive bladder, our pipes just don't work as well as they should. sometimes, i worry my pipes might leak. but i learned there's something more i can do. now, i take care with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder

gadhafi's whereabouts are still unknown. in an audio broadcast on state tv, gadhafi dismissed the rebels as rats, insisted he was in tripoli and vowed to fight to the end. the international criminal court confirmed the rebels had detained his son, seif. both men face charges of crimes against humanity. the 20-mile offensive to the capital began at dawn in zawiyah. gadhafi forces collapsed and melted away. libyan soldiers ditched their uniforms and fled. rebels say they plan their assault on tripoli in coordination with nato's bombing campaign in the country. nato says the transition of power in libya must be peaceful and the country must stay united. britain is urging the rebel national transition council to maintain law and order and not to pursue revenge attacks. there's already been in-fighting among rebel factions. gadhafi's hold on power may be all but over but the battle for control of libya has only just begun. terrell? >> this seems like it came out of nowhere, rebels struggled for months to gain ground and all of th

jim maceda has more on gadhafi's decades of rules. >> reporter: tonight moammar gadhafi is a hunted fugitive. for the u.s. and it's allies, it marks the end of a four-decade saga. by the 1980s, crushing all opposition at home, gadhafi went global with terror attacks, the u.s. its prime target. in 1986, the bombing of a nightclub allegedly ordered by gadhafi killed two marines and triggered a deadly response, air raids on libya including gadhafi's own compound. president ronald reagan has had enough. >> well, we know that this mad dog of the middle east has a goal of a world revolution, but there's no question but that he has singled us out more and more for attack. >> reporter: the 1988 bombing of pan am flight 103 over lockerbie scotland killed almost 300. gadhafi denied involvement for years but finally accepted responsibility and he paid out billions of dollars in compensation. tom ammerman died in the crash, today's news a huge relief for his brother bert. >> i never thought i would live to see the day that this killer, this coward, would be removed from power. >> reporter: just a few ye

no gadhafi. even if i die after that moment has arrived, i will live for a moment that they will tell me there's no gadhafi. that will be the best thing in my life. >> thank you for talking to us. stay safe and be careful. >> thank you so much. >> imagine what that feels like. let us know what you think. we're on facebook and "ac 360." >>> how much help has been gotten. we know about air support. special air forces. boots on the ground? covert assistance? we'll talk to a former army intelligence commander about the possibilities. >> gadhafi finished. very, very happy. now, libya freedom! the future . in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ ♪ [ country ] [ man ] help move business... ♪ gone, like my last paycheck ♪ gone, gone away ♪ gone, like my landlord's smile ♪

of gadhafi. the house of gadhafi that was bombed back in the '80s by the americans after the scandal. this house gadhafi has been addressed his people for the last six months or so. the rebels inside the house. they looting all weapons as you see on the screen here. and there's no sign of gadhafi or his son. safe al-islam yesterday gave an interview to local reporters saying he was here. he wasn't arrested and he's in control. but right now no sign of him, no sign of gadhafi himself. not only that, but there's more than 20,000 gadhafi troops that disappeared suddenly. the reports that they entered the city, they entered the compound was no resistance. there's a lot of question marks that some of them say it might be a trick that they're going to attack them like what they did three days ago. so far the situation is stale vague. we have no idea where does the troops disappeared. we know for sure that not only the rebels entered the compound, but also the people, the residents of tripoli are enter

and where is moammar gadhafi? we'll take a look at the potential hiding places. >>> and finally, hurricane irene, potential, destructive, getting stronger. much of the united states east coast is now on alert. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. [ professor ] good morning students. today, we're gonna... >>> forecasters upgraded irene to a dangerous category 3 hurricane today. now, winds are hitting 115 miles an hour as irene rips through the southern bahamas right now. irene could hit the u.s. east coast this weekend. people have been told to leave north carolina. even if it doesn't make landfall, power outages, wind damage are all likely. that's what the bahamas are likely to see today. the islands are expected to feel irene's

gadhafi military positions. there is, for example, a refueling station, there is also an oil storage facility but must to the east there are two main military compounds. they're telling us right now they're trying to push forward very slowly, trying to see what kind of resistance they encounter before they begin to pull back. they most certainly expect a very fierce battle ahead. >> arwa, al jazeera, reporting rebel fighters are closing in within 500 meters of that compound. the opposition saying that sleeper cells have secretly armed residents helped them take tripoli. what can you tell us about that? >> that's right. we heard that from the fighters we are with. seems as if the rebels established these sleeper cells early on in the uprising in various neighborhoods and these sleeper cells, based on what we're told v a fairly complex chain of command. and the minute they received the word go, that the operation to try to attack tripoli was going to be taking place s they all rose up as well and joined in the eff

gadhafi is gone. we don't want him anymore. the end. game over. >> a libyan government official announced just a few minutes ago that moammar gadhafi's forces can hold on for a long time in tripoli and warns that a humanitarian disaster looms as rebels enter the capital. >>> we're going to take you, by the way, to another country. to mexico. and a soccer game unlike any other. [ gunfire ]. >> there players and fans run for cover. no weather event that sent them seeking for shelter. >>> for anyone who loves words, guess what? the dictionary is getting a few new ones. put on your jeggings and get ready to retweet. nationwide insurance, talk to me. should i bundle all my policies with nationwide insurance ? watch this. on one hand, you have your home insurance with one company. and on another hand, you have your auto with another. and on another hand, you have your life with another. but when you bundle them all together with nationwide insurance, they all work together perfectly and you could save 25%. wow... it's all in the wris

we talked to a former aide of gadhafi saying he doesn't believe that gadhafi is still on that compound. >>> do we want to head to business now? let's check in now while we're trying to reconnect there out of tripoli, alison kosik, you've been very patient, on stand by -- and i guess still good news to report, i haven't had a chance to see the numbers, but compared to last week, we are in better shape, yes? >> this is despite the report that newly built homes have dropped. so what wall street is thinking is backwards. they think with each piece it could be ben bernanke more reason to step in and possibly help the economy and prop it up. kyra? >> okay. alison kosik, thanks. >>> more from the cnn newsroom straight ahead. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network.

you know they hate gadhafi, they hate gadhafi's sons. if all of these individuals are captured alive and arrested, will they want to put them on trial in libya or will they hand them over to the international criminal court in the haig for trial? what's your gut tell you? >> well, i was in misratah in the main square when the icc, the international criminal court, issued its warrant for moammar gadhafi and saif al islam gadhafi, his son. now the transitional national council organized a rally where they had essentially written up boards or posters for people to hold up saying thank you to the icc. but when you actually spoke to people in the crowd, they were quite clear, they want to see these people not even necessarily put on trial. they want to see them executed. one man saying he'd like to stab him to death 100 times. on the one hand they want to show the world that they can act responsibly and follow the requirements of international justice. whether that means a trial in libya itself or in the hague, the headquarters of the icc. bu

what they say is the end of the gadhafi regime. but major battles are still going on here as some in mohammad gadhafi's hometown of sirt refuse to lay down their arms. fred pleitgen, cnn, ras lanuf, syria >>> meantime in syria human activists say the government there has launched a new wave of arrests. the syrian observatory for human rights says 3,000 people have been thrown into makeshift jails. cnn is not allowed to report from inside syria, so we can only see what's going on through social network, youtube videos. jim clancy has this story and a warning. some images in his report are difficult to watch. >> reporter: there's little left to the imagination by syrian security forces as they mete out rough justice to captured demonstrators. these images were purportedly shot in ham arc earlier this month. human rights activists say this scene defines damascus' latest strategy in dealing with the unrest. >> the regime now has been for the last few months trying to break the will of the protestors. and they are throwing the book at i

> is this gadhafi's last stand? what comes next. we'll talk to boots on the ground and the libyans. >>> and the man thants to be the next president. >> i'll stick to the issues that really matter to the american people right now and will be totally responsible for getting us back in the game. >> is jon huntsman is real deal? can a republican who favors civil union with gay couples and president obama's ambassador to china, have the tea party tied? jon huntsman, the remarkably candid one-on-one. >> pierce, i'm in it to win and i promise i won't walk off. >> this is piers morgan tonight. >> moammar gadhafi saifal islam gadhafi claims the city is still under his control and his father is safe and well. i'll talk to matthew chance. i'll go live to sara sidner. sara, if you can hear me -- what's going on? >> we heard a lot of rapid gunfire. we saw tracer rounds coming over our heads, literally right over us. we had to take cover. we started to wonder what was going on. if there was some sort of fight that started up agai

gadhafi's days are numbered. if gadhafi cared about the welfare of the libyan people he would step down now. interesting the last two sentences. coming from the u.s. state department. saying two things: they believe that gadhafi's days are numbered. sending this message the rebels who are applied with the u.s. in this -- case nato as this has been playing out in recent days saying you have to start planning. they are larryly concerned about any chaos. this could be a positive development if gadhafi's government were to fall after some 40 years in power. everyone has to be thinking, within the obama administration and around the world, allies around the world, about what happens next to making sure this does not devolve into chaos. i would note that line gadhafi's numbered coming from the state department.xa5o<4ftq e white house spokesman travelinging with the president in martha's vineyard said earlier today. -- the president has been golf today, with his family on the beach as well. the white house spokesman mak

entering the city these are the latest pictures from the compound rubble from the square where colonel gadhafi used to make speeches to the nation exactly where he is no one seems to know smoke has been rising over the libyan capital throughout the day as a result of pockets of fighting between the two sides casualties are said to be mounting electricity in tripoli has now been restored after hours of a blackout well into german a london based activist from the stop the war coalition talked to me a little earlier today and she believes the only thing libyans want now is to take this situation into their own hands we have to remember we've been here before we before with the star we've been there before with iraq and i think the lesson from both of those and that's really the message is even coming from many of the rebels in tripoli and elsewhere in libya is that they don't want nato there any more they don't want western troops on the ground and they want to run their own country and i think it would be very foolish for david cameron or anybody else to believe this really vindicates their fore

>> could moammar gadhafi be there. maybe there's a tunnel underneath that hotel. >> a lot of attention on this one hotel and not just because matthew chance and his colleagues and other journalists are staying there. something's going on. we're continuing to stay in touch with our people on the ground. another developing story, officials say we could still feel more aftershocks from yesterday's 5.8 magnitude earthquake in virginia. there are reports that it was felt in 22 states, from maine to georgia to illinois and into canada. this morning, the washington monument remains closed. structural engineers will evaluate cracks found at the top of the 126-year-old landmark and figure what to do about it. >> the national cathedral closed today. three of the four spirals on the main corner cracked and fell. pending further investigation several government buildings remain closed including the departments of homeland security, health and human services, labor, interior and agriculture. the earthquake's epicenter about 90 mile

the complex was gadhafi's stronghold and residence. the forces reportedly entered the compound at around 5:00 p.m. local time following a battle against forces loyal to the longtime leader. footage from the site shows the rebels cheering for libya's day of liberation. they are stomping on a gadhafi statue and destroying his pictures. >> translator: we have taken control of 90% of the facility. we won a victory. >> fighting continues against loyalist snipers within parts of the compound. the anti-government foertss say they are searching for the libyan leader and will put him on trial for war crimes. the whereabouts of gadhafi and his family remains unknown. >>> a nato spokesperson says the end of the gadhafi government is near, but the organization will continue air raids on libya in an attempt to protect civilians in the capital tripoli. >> for the gadhafi regime, this is the final chapter. the end is near, and events are moving fast. what's clear to everybody is that gadhafi is history, and the sooner he realizes it, the better. >> l

is against gadhafi. this is why i have a very strong relation with the community before and after and that's my pleasure. >> that's ali al jalii, ambassador to the u.s. new libyan government to the united states of america. thank you very much for being with us this morning. >> thank you. >> david ignatius, the ambassador suggested there could be elections within a year. he said they just need some money freed up. perhaps a rosier picture than experts see over the next month in that country. >> the ambassador was very optimistic. he said all the right things. the truth we have to raeb is that nobody can predict with confidence where this will go. and it becomes even more important now for nongovernmental organizations, for the state department and other foreign services to work with the libyan transitional national council to structure these things. it won't happen automatically. and i think we need to start thinking about this process in the arab world, as the abe rabs transition, where it's going to ta

you have former gadhafi loyalists, military officials. then you have a large group of clansmen on the sidelines. you don't have a representative council even at this stage, that's one of the most important things that the united states and nato is going to try to do. to expand the reputation of this council to include orfactions that stayed out of the conflict. >> thank you so much for lending your experience and perspective to all of us. >> sure. >> kristen welker is in mart yast's vineyard following the president on vacation. what do you have today? >> reporter: we're expecting to get an update from the white house within the hour. here's what we can tell you right now. president obama released a statement late last night essentially saying that this is a tipping point for libya. he also said that the united states now recognizes the transitional national council as the governing body of lib yachl quite a strong statement ramping up the pressure for gadhafi to leave. white house officials say president obama may be on vacation, but he i

and where is gadhafi? abc's jeffrey kofman made his way into the compound with them and has the latest for us tonight. jeffrey? >> reporter: good evening, diane. what we saw here today was libya's equivalent of the fall of the berlin wall. the fortress that was a symbol of a regime that ruled by fear, falling into the hands of rebels. an unforgettable sight. the rebels poured into gadhafi's compound today, rejoicing. after a fierce battle, they had broken through the dictator's defenses, in reality and in symbolism, striking at the heart of his brutal regime. this was his home, his base of power. so, this is it. this is the entrance to gadhafi's compound. i was brought here several times over the last few months by gadhafi government minders. they told us where we could go. they told us what we could shoot. now, take a look at this free for all. inside, they stomped on a golden bust of gadhafi. a moment of elation for people who have lived for more than four decades under his iron fist. remember this bizar

and such that gadhafi will give up. and the pressure is political, you know, he has increasing isolation and it's isolation and as the rebels come from tripoli from the mountains up to the coast. >> if i could follow up also, it's been reported that the u.s. had suggested in its talks with the gadhafi government the possibility of gadhafi staying in the country. is that something that you're still willing to offer to them? >> well, our position is that it's a decision for the libyan people and their future government where gadhafi resides. >> in your talks with the tnc, have you gotten a sense that they would accept gadhafi to stay? also i have another but i'll start with that one. >> that's a highly controversial issue within the tnc right now. and as you've seen, they flip flopped a little bit on that and that's because there's activity views and the tnc is trying to be responsive to the street and i'm not sure they've reached a final decision. you know, the two basic arguments, one, he should go because if he's allow

what should happen if moammar gadhafi is captured? moammar gadhafi does remain at large. the dictator has evaded capture to pop up on the radio like he did today. he called the rebels rats. his spokesman said earlier we will turn libya into a volcano of lava and fire under the feet of the invaders and their treacherous majors. they say this kind of rhetoric closes the door to a peaceful surrender by gadhafi. >> someone needs to shoot him in the face, and i don't know that there's an alternative. >> libyan rebels have put $1.4 million bounty on gadhafi's head captured dead or alive. still, knowing the eyes of the world are upon them, still they should they would offer gadhafi a fair trial if captured alive. the international criminal court and hague wants gadhafi, too. we know what a criminal trial in the hague would look like. if it took place in libya, would it resemble that trial or saddam hussein's trial in iraq. remember he was found guilty and hanged. a videotape from his execution showed people taunting him and it was an international controversy. the talk-back ques

you have tribes that have been loyal to gadhafi. the tribe that the head of intelligence is from. >> that tribe has always feld a powerful position in government. what are they going to settle for now. will the and politicians that i have talked to who fled libya say that the political maker and triable make-up is very diverse. this is what made -- may slow the sort of arrival, if you will, or the announcement of any sort of. the military phase is not over and may be the simplest one. >> many governments around the world say they know who the rightful leaders of libya are. >> people who came to the rebel side. former libyan ambassador to the united nations. some of them like the general who was recently killed, senior figure suddenly killed very recently over the past few weeks was a loyalist to gadhafi. to switch sides you have libyan businessmen in the united states and other countries. they have joined the national council. they have been able to lobby the state department. it expects the national council to be a transition to so

secret assistance friction intelligence has reportedly planned the endgame for gadhafi regime guiding the rebels in their push on trip and. they're going to join in jubilation anticipating gadhafi fall but skepticism that maybe she would need to celebrate is just as widespread. and eager. to flock back to libya on a red carpet laid up a self-proclaimed new government king to reward those who helped oust gadhafi. international news and comment live from moscow it's just past nine pm here in the russian capital and in tripoli seven pm where the breaking news is that libyan rebels are inside colonel gadhafi tripoli compound following a fierce fight they now claim to control most of the capital three days after entering the city well these are the latest pictures from the compound and rebels are on the square where colonel gadhafi used to make speeches to the nation exactly where he is no one seems to know at the moment smoke has been rising over the libyan capital throughout tuesday as a result of pockets of placing a tree in the two sites and casualties are said to be ninety. the electr

when it was thought that gadhafi's rule would go on, but he was so pivotal to al gadhafi in so many ways. he was the guy who actually had helped bring libya back into the fold of the international community following years of sanctions. what happens to him now is obviously a matter of contention between the icc, the international criminal court, and the libyans themselves. many libyans would actually like to see him tried in libya. but regardless of what the venue is, i think there's consensus among the libyans and the icc that he should be tried. and it's actually -- his trieshlgs should that happen, would be so significant, not just in helping libyans deal with scars of the past but also together -- if gadhafi is also caught and put on trial, together with that, that would infuse huge momentum into arab uprisings elsewhere in the arab world, particularly in a place like syria. >> hisham, how much credit should the obama administration be able to take for this type of transition? >> well, the main actors here were the libyans. but it's a fair question to say whether the libyans cou

will colonel gadhafi fall? the rebels take control of gadhafi's most significant military base in tripoli tonight. moammar gadhafi's brutal 41-year rule may be nearing its end. >>> in this country, air show horror. thousands watch as this plane falls from the sky, the pilot is killed. and another accident today, the wing walker falls from a plane. >>> watching irene tonight. already a tropical storm barrelling through the caribbean and could soon become a hurricane. the track right now shows it could be headed for florida. >>> it could be a dramatic turn as early as tomorrow in the case of that new york city maid, and one of the most powerful men in the world charged with attacking her. >>> and ththe wedding planner. the boyfriend who spent the last year asking his girlfriend simple questions. if we ever got married, what would you want? >> she said she wanted martha stewart paper balls. >> she had no idea what she was about to walk into. >> what? she's here? >>> good evening on this sunday night. as we come on

at least in terms of gadhafi. maybe this rhetoric is the design to get his loyalists to put down their weapons. but it's certainly not leading to his capture right now. so they're not able to deliver on that. it could be sometime, joe. >> what about these messages that come from gadhafi and presumably are broadcast? is there any way of tracking through the radio stations to try to find out where they're getting this tape or this signal from that he's putting his voice out on? you know, i guess you could say it was a little bit like trying to track where is osama bin laden, was getting his messages handed off and delivered. it's too easy these days to record something on a phone chip, pass the phone chip to somebody. they upload it somewhere else. it gets e-mailed to a broadcaster. and before you know it, it's all over the airwaves. so it's probably very, very hard to catch him by that mechanism. what amazes me about his broadcast is, this is a man who doesn't seem to still see reality staring him in the face. don'

and gadhafi remains at large. the leader of libya for 42 years is now a fugitive, wanted by international courts and no longer considered in command of his people. today gadhafi lost his compound and also his country. amid these celebrations, there was still one place that remains under the control of gadhafi loyalists, in that hotel, there are 30 western journalists being held by armed gadhafi loyalists against their will and the fate of these journalists remains unknown. >> colonel gadhafi was not in his compound when the rebels seized it, as richard said there. according to -- withdrawing from that compound was a tactical move in response to nato air strikes. a government spokesman for gadhafi threatened to turn libya into volcanos, lava, and fire. joining me now, p.j. crowely, he's now the omar bradley chair at the army war college. mr. crowely, thanks very much for joining me tonight. >> hello, rachel. >> how significant is the capture of gadhafi's compound? >> from a tactical point, is important strategicall

gadhafi did have them. nato has started talking about how to secure gadhafi's supply of mustard gas. fran townsend is a member of the cia external advisory committee. in may of 2010 she visited high-ranking libyan officials at the libya's invitation. also joining us is james spider" marks. first of all, mustard gas, what is it and how dead is it? >> well, it is deadly. and the issue is that he has well over i think the specific amount now is about 25,000 pound of this stuff. i don't know for sure. last count inventory before it was starting to be reduced and rendered safe, he had close to 23 tons of this stuff. so the fact is he also has precursers for seran gas. he's got yellow cake and low-enriched uranium. all of these facilities sadly are not being addressed in a very, very visible way which needs to be job one at this point, anderson. this transition is all about ensuring that this stuff doesn't end up in the wrong hands. and it doesn't seem to be getting the discussion and the emphasis that it needs t

among gadhafi's loyalists. when we hear statements that they killed one of his sons, i think we need to take that with a pinch of salt, if you will. i know it's a psychological operation against gadhafi's loyalists. >> i want to follow up on your exclusive yesterday about the lockerbie bomber. you discovered him apparently in a coma. what are the rebels saying today about the possibility of extraditing him back to scotland? >> they're saying they're not going to do it. which is very interesting because the reason that they're giving publicly is because they're saying there's no extradition treaty with these countries and therefore, that's why they won't go ahead. but another dimension, political dimension. the tribe is hugely important for this government, they need to get that tribe on their side away from gadhafi so he can build this interim government so to send gadhafi outside of this country would send a signal to this tribe, a negative signal. so they want to send a positive signal. get the tribe on their

gadhafi's regime. the end of his rule in libya. that he should surrender. it's over for gadhafi. i think he's going to note the unified nato stance, how the allies have gotten together. i would be surprised if he goes a lot further than that unless he's going to release some new information that we're not familiar with. i think basically it will be a rewrite of what he said on paper in that written statement last night. but we'll see. we'll know soon enough. it's interesting the way he's doing it. as you know, he's on vacation in martha's vineyard, randi. he's going to go before cameras. we'll get that videotape, all the networks have a pool arrangement. about 20 minutes or so after he gives it. we will hear it live. the audio only as you know and i think our viewers are are going to hear it -- hear what the president has to say live and then we'll see him make that statement about 15 or 20 minutes later once we feed -- once the pool feeds in that actual statement. >> you know, we spoke with dan lothian from the vineyard a few minutes ago. he was saying that the administration wa

from 42 years of moammar gadhafi's dictatorship. on the highway to tripoli from the west, some rebels carry flags. others drive in cars and trucks. all armed. all excited. with shouts of "god is greatest." they firmly believe after six months of war, victory is close. thousands of rebels who used to fight in small, disconnected groups are now united. some are driving. but most are just walking to tripoli. on this front line in motion, we find a 29-year-old lab technician. he's already walked 15 miles today and won't stop, he says, until he reaches gadhafi's compound in tripoli. >> i'm one of the people that's going to -- to keep our country free. >> reporter: but there are dangers fighting along an exposed highway. there's little cover. as we film, shots ring out. close. right now we've stopped here because it seems we're caught in the cross-fire of at least two snipers. the rebels fan out, looking for the snipers in a nearby orchard and buildings. they don't find them. with a frontline this fluid, this uncertain, the wounded are ju

but are facing fierce resistance from pro khadafi forces the fighting also continues in tripoli after gadhafi aired a message claiming he's fighting on the front line the whereabouts of the colonel and his family are still unknown the national transitional council says it needs five billion dollars to provide stability in the country and for more on the views international funds. that. you know we've heard on the back of the information released today when the italian government met with the heads of the rebel council must meet to brill that happened just behind me in this building here earlier today and we had the announcement that italy plans to release half a billion dollars of phrase in live in assets and we then heard that the rebels had apparently been able to locate it at face value from his spokesman gadhafi spokesman saying that that wasn't the case and then we've heard that there's a good duffy himself releasing information and speaking saying coolly as usual for the rebels to rise up and continue fighting the rebel it's an extremely confusing time and this is really pulled into foc