gadhafi's regime is on the brink of collapse. and there are dramatic events cnn's sara seiner filed this report. >> reporter: actual le we're about half a we saw green square yesterday with the rebels in that square, though there were a bit tense, because they want there were snipers, though we did not see evidence of any at that time last night. however, what we are seeing in the streets of tripoli are rebel fighters driving, honking the honest, waving the rebel flag, the flag that was in place before the gadhafi regime came to power about 42 years ago. you're hearing hompging and every now and then gunfire. one thing to definitely note here is that we are in a basically residential/business neighborhood. this is -- there's acbank there. a store here that's selling clothes. every single shop is shut down at this point in time. we're seeing very few residents in the street. we're talking about in the early -- late morning now here, and in tripoli, and normally there would be traffic, there would be people on the streets. we're no

armeli, do yos is the end of the gadhafi regime? >> of course, because of the people surrounding bab al aziziya, they are speaking with the libyan army inside gadhafi's house, they need to leave peacefully. they don't want to kill the people inside because they are libyan as well. so it's -- >> all right. thank you very much for joining us. dr. nouri armeli there, who has set up a hospital and said he heard tanks shelling not that far away from where he is based in the capital, tripoli. charles? >>> now, when we return, beyond borders. we will tease out some of the impact of the end of the gadhafi regime on financial markets, in particular, the obvious one, how will it effect oil prices around the globe in nted moisturizers with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals. give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on to even skin tone in four weeks. aveeno tinted moisturizers. while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy sympt

get rid of gadhafi. get rid of the regime. they don't have many analysts say, a lot more than that in common. they're made up of different groups. former gadhafi loyalists, islamists, secularists. the question is, are they going to be able to agree on a way forward for libya? >> we'll talk about it much more in the next couple of hours, zain. thanks. >>> are we any safer and could we see american boots on the ground in libya? retired general james "spider" marks joins us next. ♪ [ jim ] i need to push out a software upgrade. build a new app for the sales team in beijing. and convince the c.e.o. his email will find him... wherever he is. i need to see my family while they're still awake. [ male announcer ] with global services from dell, jim can address his company's i.t. needs through custom built applications, cloud solutions and ongoing support in over 100 countries. so his company sees results. and jim sees his family. dell. the power to do more. no, it's just for new people. hey ! chocolate, vanilla or strawberry ? choco

president obama says the gadhafi regime is coming to an end. but as celebrations begin in the streets of tripoli and elsewhere, the fighting rages on. full comments on the ground with the very latest. republican senator john mccain says the obama administration should have been tougher sooner. i'll speak with him live this hour. i'll ask him why he's critical of the president despite the success on the ground. and moammar gadhafi now a hunted man. we'll take a closer look at his reign of terror, and we'll look ahead to the war crimes trials that may, may await him and his inner circle. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. breaking news, political headlines all straight ahead. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> the breaking news out of libya where after 42 years the regime is collapsing. there are still fierce battles raging, but the rebels now control most of the capital. they have captured three of moammar gadhafi's sons, but now we've learned, just learned, one of those sons has actually

in the face of these protests, the gadhafi regime responded with brutal crackdowns. civilians were murdered in the streets, and the campaign of violence was launched against the libyan people, and gadhafi threatened to hunt peaceful protesters down like rats. as the forces advanced across the country, there existed the potential for wholesale massacres of innocent civilians. in the face of this aggression, the international community took action and the united states helped to shape a u.n. security council resolution that mandated the protection of the libyan civilians and unprecedented coalition was formed that included the united states, our nato partners and arab nations, and in march, the international community launched a operation to stop gadhafi and his administration in the tracks. in the early intervention, the united states provided the bulk of the firepower and then our friends and allies stepped forward. at the transitional national council established itself as a credible representative of the libyan people, and the united states, together with our europ

the fate of the gadhafi regime has been all but inevitable. the question is what comes next? outside the white house and in parcel bration, generations of libyans express joy as moammar gadhafi's regime crumbled half a world away. >> it's a good feeling. the taste of freedom. >> gadhafi is the worst man on this earth. >> he lies. he kills our people and now it's time for him to step down. >> reporter: on vacation in martha's vineyard, president obama was getting regular updates throughout the weekend. >> wait until we have more information. i'll make a statement. >> reporter: in that statement the president said the momentum against the gadhafi regime has reached a tipping point. tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. the six-month civil war tookal startling return with rebel troops pushing into the capital of tripoli. this morning they were reported at the doorstep of gadhafi's compound. a government spokesman begged for a break to negotiate a peace. >> each side actually is terrified of the other side. so let's suspend all military operations, all violence right no

the one thing to note here is that for days, months really, the gadhafi regime, gadhafi himself said there will be thousands of people who would rise up, there was an army waiting for anyone who was going to try and come into the city or try and take back libya. that is just not what these rebels or anyone else going into that city has seen. the question everyone has on their minds is where are all these people who are supposedly prepared to fight for moammar gadhafi? there is always going to be the concern that there is something lurking, that there is something that we don't know or something that the rebels don't know as you go into a city like that and it's very quiet. it gives you a bit of an eerie feeling to see a capital city with the only traffic being those of the rebels speeding back and forth in their trucks with guns blazing celebrating and yelling "god is great" and "free libya." that's all that we were seeing in the streets for the most part and then in the evening as it started to turn to dusk and people were about to take their one meal a day as it is still ramadan we

the gadhafi regime is all but over. david? >> jeffrey kofman, thank you so much. as that scene plays out in green square, in the center of tripoli, there are journalists holed up in a hotel elsewhere in that city. among them, the bbc's matthew price, who i spoke with just a short time ago. >> there are about 35 of us here. we're wearing body armor at the moment as a precaution. and we've been hearing a large amount of very heavy fighting going on in the streets around the hotel. the government minders who are normally with us, most of them have left. their families have left. and you can, just as an illustration of what it's like here, even the civil servants who look after the foreign press here, he is walking around with an ak-47 at the moment. >> with an ak-47. you mentioned you are wearing body armor. are you able to look out the windows at all? what can you see, if anything, at this point? >> i can tell you what we've heard. heavy weapons being used. rocket-propelled grenades being fired. most of them outgoing, but they could be incoming, as well. there is cl

and the power of the gadhafi regime. how difficult will it be for this country to use that oil to its own benefit and not be corrupted by it? >> again, one would hope there would be trance parsparency ear. obviously, there is money in frozen banks. money from the europeans and americans should be unfrozen soon. it should be the richest country on the african continent, had it not been for moammar gadhafi, a country with a small population, large -- lot of resources. and i think that dream of restoring the potential of libya should be the guiding principles for the libyans. but now you have a shattered economy, shattered infrastructure and they need to be time. the truth now is to maintain a degree of stability during the early phases of the transition. by nature, transitions are very precarious. >> our thanks to you. thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >>> now is your chance to talk back on the big story of the day. the question for you this morning, was u.s. involvement in libya worth it? there'

gadhafi's where abouts are still unknown at this point but the gadhafi regime is clearly crumbling. >> libya remains a fluid situation. we will continue to keep you updated but we also want to tell you about another story, another tropical storm that could pose a threat to millions. >> tropical storm irene is the ninth tropical storm of the season. every one of these have all come and gone. nothing so far has turned into a hurricane. now the national hurricane center has kept records since 1851. not too often do you get that many storms without one being a hurricane. winds just up to 113 kilometers an hour. which is 74 miles an hour. it is going to strengthen inside the next 24 hours and weaken beyond that after it interacts with this area here. the governments in the areas are taking this very seriously. we have hurricane watches and warnings up and down the caribbean. the question lies, what is the storm going to do. heavy rain across the region. on into areas of haiti and beyond that the models want to take the storm system to the islands sometime in the next 36 hours. florida has

they had been angry with the gadhafi regime. those behind me are people who live here in this neighborhood. there's a clinic just down the road where there are nurses who have been here during the whole firefight, scared for their lives, but they say they will stay and take care of anyone who is injured. they have been doing that. we know civilians have been injured in this fight, that they have been coming back to this area to get some kind of treatment. they do have enough to treat the people that they have in there at this point in time. so far, some of these little kids, we saw this gentleman here standing at his door, holding a gun earlier today, trying to protect his property. the people here that are surrounding me, very happy with what's happened today. >> sarah, it's interesting, i imagine it's almost natural that a lot of those people we used to see dancing and cheering for moammar gadhafi inside green square on state television would have just sort of changed sides right now, i imagine, and some would have felt that t

tonight the momentum against gadhafi's regime reached a tripping point. tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. the people of libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator. the surest way for bloodshed to end is simple. moammar gadhafi and his regime need to recognize their rule has come to an end. gadhafi needs to acknowledge the reality that he no longer controls libya. he needs to relinquish power once and for all. meanwhile the united states has recognized the transitional council as the governing authority in libya. at this pivotal and historic time the tnc should continue to demonstrate that the leadership that is necessary to steer the country through a transition by respecting the rights of the people of libya, avoiding civilian casualties, protecting institutions of the libyan state and pursuing a transition to democracy that is just and inclusive for the people of libya. a season of conflict must lead to one of peace. the president goes on to say in a statement the fu

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

he was sleaze libya's ambassador to india for the gadhafi regime these are the related is of the national transitional council they're certainly known have any history as democrats you know they've been associated with the gadhafi regime for a very long time. r.t. has also spoken to abdel bari atwan who edits an arabic newspaper based in london he's saying skurnick gadhafi will definitely fall but the question is whether the rebels will be able to govern the country. could turn to a fitting state and i quote happened in afghanistan nobody can predict what will happen after we know that he would be removed from power because he cannot actually fight and he hasn't called back up abilities but the big question is you know what the position was when the first pain. the huge division is in its second with it is capable to run the country and to keep. the united states. to other news now investigators say they have new information about who ordered the murder of russian journalist anna politkovskaya five years ago well the statement follows the arrest of a former key witness in the case has now

the only thing that's sure is this is the end of the gadhafi regime. we're talking about a bitter struggle, it might go on for a week or so before he's done and then the ensuing revolution occurs. which they try and put together governance. >> this is a society that is completely armed on a good day. so given the fact that there is going to be resistance from some loyalists and the need to try to collect weapons, how concerned do we need to be about the stingers and other serious weapons that are still out there? >> well, you know, i've listened to the commentary of the last two days. as a general statement i actually don't think we need to be too concerned about it. the only thing he's got that's dangerous are the chemical weapons, which i think we will be able to secure and then the sa-7 shoulder fired heat seeking missiles they're a potential threat to civil aviation all over the world. so with the exception of those two things, the fact that there are thousands of ak-47s, land mines, hand grenades, rpgs, the middle east is awash in that kind of wea

as far we was slaves libya's ambassador to india for the gadhafi regime beazer the related is of the national transitional council they're certainly known have any history as democrats you know they've been associated with the gadhafi regime for a very long time r.t. has also spoken. at it's an arabic newspaper based in london he sings colonel gadhafi will definitely fall but the question is whether the rebels will be able to govern the country. could turn to a failed state and like what happened in afghanistan nobody can predict what will happen after that we knew that he would be removed from power because he cannot speak in the tubes and he hasn't called back up abilities but the big question is you know what the position is so he wouldn't be able. to visualize it so that second with if he's capable to run the country and to keep it as a united states. so other news stories now here in r t investigators say they have new information about who ordered the murder of russian journalist anna politkovskaya five years ago the statement follows the arrest of a former key witness in the c

libya's ambassador to india for the gadhafi regime these are the real leaders of the national transitional council they're certainly known have any history as democrats you know they've been associated with the gadhafi regime for a very long time. r.t. has also spoken to abdel bari i want to add it's an arabic newspaper based in london he thinks colonel gadhafi will definitely fall but the question is whether the rebels will be able to govern the country. and leave you. could turn to offense that like what happened in afghanistan nobody can predict what will happen after that we know that he would be to move from power because he and i actually need to use and he hasn't called a couple of things but the big question is you know whether that transitional council will be able first painting in the face of the visions in its second whether it is capable to run the country and to keep and leave the united states. to other news now a former key witness in the case of murdered russian journalist anna politkovskaya has been arrested retired senior police official has fallen under suspicion himsel

many have family ties to the gadhafi regime and put their eggs in the basket of colonel ga day gadhafi and are loyal advances, particularly in the east of the city, government officials confirming that the government lost control a few hours ago. the eastern suburbs of tripoli. as i say, fierce fighting. of course, all areas including the center of the city as well, perceived by the people in the contacts we've had here in the hotel as very negative developments indeed. obviously, the situation in tripoli is much more patchy, much more varied, but the reports west of the city as the rebels have come in from zawiya, they've been greeted by some of the residents and celebrations that the rebels have come in. obviously that's not the case for many -- not the case for -- obviously that's not the case from any of the residents. >> if you need to stop, matthew -- matthew, if you need to stop and listen to what's being said, please, do so. we want you to be safe. we don't want you to broadcast live any images that might get you in trouble at this very crucial stage in this story in tripoli. >

is far we was always libya's ambassador to india for the gadhafi regime beason the real leaders of the national transitional council they're certainly known have any history as democrats you know they've been associated with the gadhafi regime for a very long time. he has also spoken to one who edits an arabic newspaper based in london he sings colonel gadhafi well definitely thought but the question is whether the rebels will be able to govern the country. could turn to i think state and i think i'm stunned nobody can predict what will happen that we knew about who would be to move from power because he and i actually need to this and he hasn't got a couple of things but the big question is you know with that position council when he first came. to. the disease it's that second with if he's capable to run back and think and to keep and leave yeah as a united states. to other news now investigators say they have new information about who ordered the murder of russian journalist anna politkovskaya five years ago well the statement follows the arrest of a former key witness in the case h

and things called green by the gadhafi regime are the first things to go as gadhafi is ousted from pourer, as richard described, and as you can see here, the aforementioned green square in the former capital libyan capital tripoli renamed martyr's square. that happened rebel after rebel. don't change your tv. in addition to changing green squashgs they are replacing that gadhafi-era all-green flag, the pre-gadhafi flag you've been seeing out of this revolution. so long green square, so long green flag. this is libyan state-run television. for months they've been broadcasting gadhafi's haranging speeches against the forces and, yes, that is one of their news anchors brandishing a gun on television. warning the anti-gadhafi rebels they'll never win and never take control of that libyan-state run television. libyan state-run television is now effectively gone. this is the last thing they were showing before they went off the air. a libyan version about "the view." then it ended abruptly. went black. and later replaced by this. a pro-rebel news network in qatar, in the process of interviewing

as far we were slaves libya's ambassador to india for the gadhafi regime these are the real leaders of the national transitional council they're certainly known have any history as democrats you know they've been associated with the gadhafi regime for a very long time. r.t. has also spoken to abdel bari atwan who added center arabic newspaper based in london and he sings colonel gadhafi will definitely trial but the question is whether the rebels will be able to govern the country. and state like that happen in afghanistan nobody can predict what. we know about who would be moved from power because he might actually pipe and he hasn't called back up abilities but the big question is you know what that position the council will be able to first paint. divisions it's said whether it is capable to run the country and to keep as a united states. what you are to live from moscow to other news now a former t.v. witness in the case of murdered russian journalist anna politkovskaya has been arrested or retired senior police official has fallen under suspicion himself for organizing the crime a

this gives you a sense of the power of the gadhafi regime. this honestly is the nicest part of the city. you're seeing these large, very nicely [ inaudible ]. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: let's pull back a little bit, let's pull back just a little bit. let's pull back. i'm getting hit by some of the shells. it's getting a little bit too loud for you guys to hear me, and a little bit too much -- we're trying to get away -- i just got hit a little by one of the shells. >> sarah, we can hear you just fine but maybe you should take some cover here. go back to the wall where it's safe, possibly. >> reporter: yeah. we are. we are. we are back behind a wall. we are between two walls right now. what i can tell you is, would you mind picking up the uniforms back there -- >> sarah -- >> reporter: we're okay. we're between two walls now. we're fine. >> yeah. carry on. >> reporter: we're between two walls. >> yeah. i think we've lost your audio again, sarah. let's see if we can reconnect the audio. what you're telling us is great. we still have the picture.

gadhafi and his regime need to realize his reign has come to an end. the president said the future of libya is now in the hands of the libyan people. >> as the fighting rages on the ground, the white house is looking at the possible next steps after gadhafi. national council that has led the rebels so far should continue to demonstrate leadership. they should respect the right of the people. avoid civilian casualties. protect the institutions of the libyan state and pursue -- that is just and inclusive. those are all important issues thaz move to what is the next step and that is creating an interim authority. finally oil and the revenues that have been frozen that now would be give on the the tnc. all of these issues could make that transition very complicated. they will be looking carefully and hoping that the tnc will follow through on the commitments it hads already made. prescribe david cameron has released a statement on. the statement goes on to say that he has committed appalling crimes andhe must go now to avoid further suffering. that was on

it gives you a sense of the power of the gadhafi regime. this honestly is the nicest part of the city. you're seeing these large, very nicely -- let's pull back a little bit. let's just pull back. i'm getting hit by some of the shells. >> other parts of tripoli continued to see fighting on the streets. journalists held by government forces report explosions and gunfire. matthew chance is trapped there. >> we're pretty frightened to be honest, michael. we're all kind of like in this sort of silence that's come over us. we're upstairs, very hot in the hotel. we've all got our body armor on. we don't really know what to expect there is a sense that we feel we've kind of been used. we're stuck here, not able to go out. we don't want to be here. we want to get out of here, but we're not being permitted to do that, so it's almost like a situation where we feel we're being kept here against our will. but the government says they are taking care of us, gadhafi loyalists say they are here to protect us, but it just doesn't feel like that up here som

right now, rebels in libya are storming moammar gadhafi's compound in tripoli with gadhafi's regime on the verge of collapsing, obviously there's still a lot of uncertainty over libya's future. >> perhaps what's most important to the united states is libya's stockpile of chemical weapons and explosives. what will happen to them. if libya find itself with no leader it's possible these weapons could fall into the wrong hands. barbara starr live at the pentagon this morning, looking into this. good morning, barbara. >> good morning to all of you. if there isn't enough to worry about, this is now a major concern. what are we talking about here? >> libya has a large quantity to start with of mustard gas. now, people will tell you, it's not in a form that can be readily put on a weapon and used to attack right now, but who controls that inventory? that's the issue, of course. could it fall into the wrong hands? could whoever has it right now basically sell some of it off to terrorists who might take it out of the country and store it? you're beginning to see what the concerns are for the u.s

council a known have any history as democrats you know they've been associated with the gadhafi regime for a very long time. r.t. has also spoken to abdel bari atwan who add it's an arabic newspaper based in london he thinks colonel gadhafi will definitely fall but the question is whether the rebels will be able to govern the country. could turn to a failed state like what happened in afghanistan nobody can predict what will happen after we know that he would be removed from power because he and i actually need to spend he hasn't called back up abilities but the big question is you know what position comes he will not be able to paint. the. divisions in its second with if he's capable to run the country and to keep. the united states. to other news now a former key witness in the case of murdered russian journalist anna politkovskaya has been arrested retired senior police official has fallen under suspicion himself organizing the crime artist peter oliver joins us now with. peter so what do we know about this man just arrested in connection with the case tell us well dimitri public ja

over here you're seeing them, these are cars that belonged to the gadhafi regime. they are sitting, they are blowing off rounds from the top of them. that is obviously a security -- [gunfire ]. i'm going to try not to get hit by any of those rounds. you see the people streaming through the main gate. that's all the way into the compound. so you see -- [gunfire ] a lot of smoke coming from the compound. you see these huge walls. these were supposed to be protective walls. this gives you a sense of power of the gadhafi regime [gunfire ] this honestly is the nicest part of the city. you're seeing these nicely -- [gunfire ] i'm going to back up. let's pull back a little bit. let's pull back just a little bit. let's just pull back because i'm getting hit by some of the shells. >> that was sarah sidner reporting from tripoli. fortunately she was not injured. and coming up at 5:30, what the liberation of libya could mean for families and other exiles in the bay area. >>> stocks rallied for a second straight day on wall street. the dow closed with its biggest gain in nearl

saying that the gadhafi regime is clearly crumbling. the sooner gadhafi realizes he cannot win the battle against his own people, the better. the libyan people can be spared further bloodshed and suffering. as we've been saying it is anyone's guess as to where gadhafi is. we've had reports he is in algeria. that coming from the bbc. >> right it is very significant that saif al-islam gadhafi has been captured. he's the most significant. back when gadhafi was supposedly coming in from the cold and becoming a reformer, saif made the rounds in washington. protested -- professed to be a fan of democracy but turned out to be a true thug and supporter of his father. the fact that he's been captured that the heir apparant is under control of the rebels. plus the report you just mentioned that his bodyguards have thrown in the towel. as to the report he's in algeria. there have been reports that he was ready to negotiate, leave the country. you can't to take it with a grain of salt until he actually turns up there certainly, a positive turn of e

mandate basically to protect civilians but at the same time they say the gadhafi regime is over wasn't getting rid of the gadhafi main goal so why are they going to say well these are the very interesting kind of conflicting opinions on reports that we keep getting from the ground in libya in tripoli and other places. coming both from nato who i think from our side there are to intervene in a situation they didn't quite understand and they were quite frankly caught by surprise this time around despite all the reports and they can't come up with a coherent narrative of what their mission should be in libya or why there should be should be there at all from the beginning and we're getting that as the same from reports on the ground so while some people are jubilant and around and they're saying it's all over we still have all these open ended questions and there's fighting continuing and if you hear certain reports it's even said in certain neighborhoods in tripoli so i find it's a very interesting situation on the ground but it actually reflects a bit of confusion across all camps that

it is he does enter the power of the gadhafi regime. this is that it is part of the city. it has these large -- [ gunfire ] >> she is okay but you can see much more of the report on ktvu.com. >>> a new grocery store will open tomorrow but it is ready coming into somebody's is a. they say they are concerned that the self-serve checkouts will allow minors to get their hands on alcohol. at the grocery chain says that the idea of any one who buys alcohol. >>> is putouts bloomberg news is that mr. fire -- hire about 20 companies this year. executives as they pile the palo alto-based company is focusing on the design in mobile technology field. >>> is at its odds of making changes to privacy settings. it gives users the option of limiting who seats the -- sees the post or photo. >>> onto a story we have been following at the east bay hills. amen is in the hospital after his car went off the cliff in oakland. a hiker spotted the car and rescue crews responded around 520 this morning. the driver had been there since a day after he fell asleep at the wheel raiding, michigan out of

but this much is clear, the gadhafi regime is coming to an end. and the future of libya is in the hands of its people. >> reporter: the rebel forces were once a ragtag band with no formal training. here, they're showing "nightline's" terry moran how they've assembled a weapon out of spare parts. >> this is the doorbell. >> yes. >> doorbell and -- >> key? >> you attach this -- >> this is -- >> you attach this to the rocket? >> yes. >> then you're using the doorbells to fire the rocket? >> to fire. >> yes, yes. >> reporter: nato and some arab countries support them with some air support, weaponry and some training. until this weekend, a coordinated attack from several sides brought them into the capital, into the very belly of the beast. the opposition says it now has most of the capital. although it warns it still does not have control of gadhafi's palace. gadhafi's forces also surround the upscale rixos hotel where we stayed, and where in these final days, foreign journalists have been barricaded in by regime holdouts. but opposition forces have m

regime or whether or not they did not like the gadhafi regime, that they're able to freely speak. so you do get some of that energy, you might say, from the people who you are covering. but what's going forward is a very difficult process, i think, that's going to have to happen. the national transitional council has sort of put itself in a position of a political opposition. there was a scene where they had a young man with his arms bound behind him. they were marching him out of that compound. we all thought, oh, my gosh, this is someone who they've captured from the gadhafi regime. i saw a couple of people leveling guns straight at him. and i thought for just a second, my god, this man is going to get shot before my eyes and he's unarmed. and eventually he talked them down. it turned out he was just a civilian who had gone in like a bunch of other people to see what it was like in there because he was absolutely curious. he had never been able to go into this massive compound. so these are the things that i think need to be watched. and also, i'm very concerned also about those

regime or whether or not they did not like the gadhafi regime, that they're able to freely speak. so you do get some of that energy, you might say, from the people who you are covering. but what's going forward is a very difficult process, i think, that's going to have to happen. the national transitional council has sort of put itself in a position of a political wing of the opposition. what disturbs me just a bit, there was a scene where they had a young man with his arms bound behind him. they were marching him out of that compound. we all thought, oh, my gosh, this is someone who they've captured from the gadhafi regime. and i saw a couple of people leveling guns straight at him. and i thought for just a second, my god, this man is going to get shot before my eyes and he's unarmed. and eventually he talked them down. it turned out he was just a civilian who had gone in like a bunch of other people to see what it was like in there because he was absolutely curious. he had never been able to go into this massive compound. so these are the things that i think need to be watched.

now, nato says gadhafi's regime is crumbling. libyan leader gabrielle giffords moammar gadhafi is -- it doesn't seem as though at this stage many are listening to moammar gadhafi, and what he has to say. my colleague ben wedeman reported extensively from inside libya and is in cairo, egypt now. one country there to the east. so, ben, i've got to ask you about moammar gadhafi. we're not sure where he is. we're hearing from the rebels two of his sons have been arrested, and we're just hearing of celebrations in central tripoli. >> reporter: well, it appears he's keeping a very low profile. we are just a little while ago -- he was making some sort of intermittent broadcast addressed to the nation on libyan tv, but right now i'm watching libyan state tv, and it seems to be experiencing some sort of interference with the signal. now, we've seen various reports that he's gone to algeria. that he's been captured. it's not at all clear where he is. of course, there are still areas of the country where he might be welcomed. for instance,

not one indictment has ever been issued to anyone in the gadhafi regime. our government has never tried to prosecute him. all the energy of the u.s. government and the u.k. government frankly has been to do commerce. moammar gadhafi years ago was actually rewarded for everything that he had done with billions of dollars of oil contracts. you should go to my website, betrayalforoil.com and see what has happened in order to pursue justice and accountability with moammar gadhafi. what these people have done, the freedom fighters have done right now up until this point in only six months is phenomenal. >> excuse me, may i ask you just very quickly, because we're running out of time here. if you had a choice in the way that the american s.e.a.l.s had a choice with osama bin laden of killing moammar gadhafi or bringing him back to justice, which would you prefer? >> moammar gadhafi should be brought to justice and i think that it's important that the u.s. government does not try to broker a deal to find him asylum or grant him immunity, but he should be adjudica

those are outside the control of the gadhafi regime for months now. and presumably they will be turned over to the transitional council if it indeed takes power as we seem to expect it to. the other question is gadhafi's personal wealth and how much of that can be located and found and can it be distinguished from some of these libyan government wealth funds. after all, he's been head of state for 42 years. and that is still very much and open question. estimates all over the map on how much gadhafi's personal wealth is ranging from $30 billion to $250 billion. that's one good key, we don't really know the answer. >> when we talk about the country's assets of moammar gadhafi, england, tunisia, south africa, uganda, how does the national council go about retrieving the money from those countries? >> well, first of all, a lot of those are aware of the libyan investment authority funds that are invested in property in the english country side, for instance, in london, again, that is -- those are assets that are frozen and could be turned over to the tran

things called green by the gadhafi regime are among the first things to go as richard just described and as you can see here, the aforementioned green square in the capital of tripoli has been renamed martyr square you can see on google maps, the white writing there behind the label. that happened hours after they took control of the capitol. this right here, this is the flag of libya under moammar gadhafi, do not adjust your screen, it's just a green flag. so in addition to renaming green's square in tripoli, they are also replacing that all-green flag with this, the pre-gadhafi flag that you have been seeing in the news footage out of libya in this revolution. so long green square, so long green flag. this is libyan state-run television. for months they have been broadcasting moammar gadhafi's speeches. in this instance, what you see here, yes, that is one of their news anchors brandishing a gun on television warning the rebels they will never win and they will never take control of that state-run television station. the television station is now effectively gone. this is the last

things called green by the gadhafi regime are among the first things to go as gadhafi is ousted from power, as richard just described and as you can see here. the aforementioned green square in the capital of tripoli had been renamed martyr square. you can see on google maps, the white writing where we put the label, that happened hours after rebels took control of the capital. do not adjust your screen, it's just a green flag. so in addition to renaming green's square in tripoli, they are also replacing that all-green flag with this, the pre-gadhafi flag that you have been seeing in the news footage out of libya in this revolution. so long green square, so long green flag. this is libyan state-run television. for months they have been broadcasting moammar gadhafi's almost daily speeches against the forces who have been rising up against him. in this instance, what you see here, yes, that is one of their news anchors brandishing a gun on television warning the rebels they will never win and they will never take control of that state-run television station. libyan state-run television

regime or whether or not they did not like the gadhafi regime, that they're able to freely speak. so you do get some of that energy, you might say, from the people who you are covering. but what's going forward is a very difficult process, i think, that's going to have to happen. the national transitional council has sort of put itself in a position of a political opposition. there was a scene where they had a young man with his arms bound behind him. they were marching him out of that compound. we all thought, oh, my gosh, this is someone who they've captured from the gadhafi regime. i saw a couple of people leveling guns straight at him. and i thought for just a second, my god, this man is going to get shot before my eyes and he's unarmed. and eventually he talked them down. it turned out he was just a civilian who had gone in like a bunch of other people because he was absolutely curious. he had never been able to go into this massive compound. so these are the things that i think need to be watched. and also, i'm very concerned also about those people who did support the gadha

move into the capital, and move out gadhafi and his regime. that is what the rebels have been asking for. they want him to go, and if they -- if they have to do it by force, they say they will do that. there's a lot of optimism. we heard from a commander earlier this week that he believes they will be in tripoli in the next few weeks at the end of the month. >> and, sara, don't answer the question if you're worried about your safety, just say good-bye, but it's impossible not to know of the gunfire behind you. what to make of that? >> reporter: yeah. so, here's what happens. oftentimes and as you've seen throughout this war, when there is celebrations, a lot of times there are lots of people with guns, and people get very happy and very excited. and they start firing, and it's something we all have to contend with obviously. i mean, for our own safety, we're always kind of looking over our shoulder and trying to listen to make sure it's not coming our way, but sometimes it is. and a lot of times it's just enthusiasm on the parts of the rebels

we were all expecting -- i think perhaps if we're honest -- the gadhafi regime was eventually going to crumble but we didn't really expect that it was going to crumble at this rapid pace. and yes, i mean colonel gadhafi is sort of -- i think the suspicion is that he may have something up his sleeve. they've said repeatedly that they have tens of thousands of armed professional soldiers. 65,000, i was told today in fact. a very precise number. those troops according to government officials just earlier today saying that they're committed to defending this country, they're committed to defending this city. we haven't really seen that much of them, have we? and so either it was bluster or, as you say, those soldiers have decided not to fight or something's going to be coming up in the hours ahead. >> time and time again, too, we would come across the allegations, the speculation of large numbers of% na mercenarier neighboring african countries. we came across four from chad. we interviewed one of them and asked him, he had a dead comrade with him in the back of a rebel pick-up. so how muc

in the face of these protests, the gadhafi regime responded with brutal crackdowns. civilians were murdered in the streets, a campaign of violence was launched against the libyan people, gadhafi threatened to hunt peaceful protesters down like rats. and his forces advanced across the country, there existed the potential for wholesale massacres of innocent civilians. in the face of this aggression, the international community took action. the united states helped shape a u.n. security council resolution that mandated the protection of libyan civilians. an unprecedented coalition was formed that included the united states, our nato partners and arab nations. and in march the international community launched a military operation to save lives and stop gadhafi's forces in this their track -- in their tracks. in the early days of this intervention, the united states provided the bulk of the firepower, and then our friends and allies stepped forward. the transitional national council has established itself as a credible representative of the libyan people, and the united s

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. >> lungescu also said nato will continue implementing its mandate to protect civilians for as long as necessary and that the united nations security council commitment. she denied the possibility of deploying ground troops adding that in the post-gadhafi period nato will be in a supporting role and will have no troops on the ground. >>> libya's opposition forces have asked the united nations chief to provide assistance for the creation of a new country after the fall of the gadhafi administration. a u.n. spokesperson said mustafa abdel jalil, the leader of the national council, made the request to ban ki-moon during a telephone conversation on tuesday. the u.n. chief stressed the importance of libya's national unity after the collapse of the gadhafi government. the spokesperson announced the u.n. secretary-general wil

so obviously the gadhafi regime has fallen. the question is, where is moammar gadhafi, where is his family? people still don't note answer to that, but certainly the rebels have had a major victory today, a historic moment in the capital tripoli. >> and sara, what do the rebels plan on doing next? they do indeed have the compound. it is theirs now. gadhafi still nowhere to be found. what's their next step as you speak to them? >> reporter: that is the difficult part, because i think right now what's happening is they're really trying to concentrate on any pockets of the city that are still problematic, any pockets of the city where they still see the people who they consider enemies, that is those that were fighting for gadhafi. we did see also, to show you what the tension was like outside that compound, we did see them with a man who had his arms bound behind his back. they were walking him out of the compound. and then there was some kind of argument and suddenly we saw one of the -- one of the rebels pointing a gun, pointin

ambassador to india for the gadhafi regime beason to relieve is of the national transitional council they're certainly known have any history as democrats you know they've been associated with the gadhafi regime for a very long time r.t. has also spoken. and it's an arabic newspaper based in london he sings colonel gadhafi will definitely fall but the question is why there are the rebels will be able to govern the country. yeah. a failed state like what happened in afghanistan and nobody can predict what will happen after we knew that there would be removed from power because he and i actually need and he has and could pick up abilities but the big question is you know with that position the council will be april first came. the disease it's the same with he's capable to run back on thing and to keep and leave the united states. to other news stories now here on our t.v. investigators say they have new information about who ordered the murder of russian journalist anna politkovskaya five years ago the statement follows the arrest of a former key witness in the case has now fallen und

despite also saying the gadhafi regime is now a thing of the pockets. of revolutionaries son jim is growing daily in syria fears are mounting the political crisis may be spiraling into a religious one. palestinian alert israeli defense forces reportedly prepare for an ark wising ready to hand out tear gas and stun grenades to some worse as the you want to vote for a palestinian state. and american oil drives in mobile and russia's rust never strike a story corp deal paving the way for a joint or real exploration of the gulf of mexico to russia's vast arctic. located is here with a sports update right here there's been a mixed day for russia at the world look a lot of championships in south korea right i have to say yes that's right yes double olympic pole vault. fails to reach the podium but trying to beat the defending champion to take gold in that sense one more and that's plus just the sports that's coming up next. i would thank you for joining me for the early evening sports news and here's what's coming up. looking up russia coach dick advocaat dem

, really the symbol of the gadhafi regime. i'm going to talk to a spokesperson with the state department and get their assessment as they've been watching what's happening on the streets there. tripoli may be breached but is tripoli captured? what's their assessment? >>> gunfire and it's becoming completely out of control with the gunfire, because people are just, they've got so much ammunition they've taken from the gadhafi regime they feel they can waste it now, feel like he is completely -- [ gunfire ] it's been a good year for chevy. and not because silverado's the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size truck on the road or because heavy duty made motor trend's 2011 truck of the year. no, it was good because you told us so. consider this a thank-you. the chevy model year wrap up. get in on our greatest model year yet. right now, combine the all-star edition discount with other offers for a total value of $6,000. our greatest model year yet is wrapping up. >>> while these rebels in libya may be ringing out their victory

not credible based on your knowledge of the region and what the gadhafi regime has left? >> it's simply not credible. we're all seeing the pictures from tripoli. the rebels are able to enter tripoli without much resistance. it's hard to imagine this is a devious plan by gadhafi. one thing i would say is, we should be careful not to expect clean breaks between the phases of this. i think sarah is exactly right. the fighting may not completely end before we need to move into the second phase of rebuilding of transition. >> let me ask you, i don't want to make the too fast comparison to iraq, but it felt in a lot of ways for people, until we captured saddam hussein and we saw him, the war wasn't over for people. do we need to capture gadhafi and have the picture of moammar gadhafi in, if not u.s. hands, nato hands for there to be closure or does that matter in terms of the region this process is moving forward, whether he's -- we've got him captured or not? >> it's an important indication of the fall of the regime overall. there are a number of things we can begin to do as t

him and the gadhafi regime is still in power. we arm ourselves today and confront the rest today, god willing. hundreds of pro-gadhafi supporters crowded around saif al islam to receive weapons to fight the rebels, and a pep talk to not give up. he said his father is safe and well in tripoli. and declared the government is winning the battle against the opposition. rebel fighters swept in to tripoli two days ago, triggering massive celebrations. libyans are hoping to see the end of gadhafi's 42-year reign. president obama is pledging america's support to libyan rebels as they look to form a new government. but he acknowledges the fight is not over. >> there remains a degree of uncertainty, and there are still regime elements who pose a threat. but this much is clear, the gadhafi regime is coming to an end. >> reporter: but gadhafi allies are refusing to give up. nato says government forces fired three scud-type missiles from the colonel's hometown toward the rebel-held city of misrata. rebel commanders claim they now control abou

now gadhafi's regime is up against the wall. but if his forces are run out of libya, what happens to the weapons? the stockpiles of guns, missiles, chemical weapons, even. mike rogers joins us now to try to make sense of a lot of this. and congressman, you and i know we've been watching some very volatile regions. you've got dangerous stockpiles of weapons. what specific threat does this instability in libya pose now for our security? >> reporter: sure. well, it's very real. these weapon systems are dangerous, he has literally thousands of anti-aircraft weapons. he has about 25,000 pounds of mustard gas. there was a group there that was incinerating it. and they ended up leaving because of the turmoil. we hope they can get back and finish that job. but right now, those are in the hands of the gadhafi regime. so you have all of this going on at the same time, and my biggest fear is that once gadhafi falls, you're going to have all of the adjustments that will happen when you have a revolution like this. you'll have ethnic interes