Defiant Gaddafi Issues Statement

Earlier various new agencies had reported that Muammar Gaddafi had vanished before or as Libyan rebel fighters entered his Tripoli compound.

A few minutes ago, however, the BBC reported that Gaddafi has issued a statement through a Tripoli radio station broadcast:

Col Muammar Gaddafi has vowed death or victory in the fight against "aggression", reports say, after Libyan rebels seized his Tripoli compound.

Pro-Gaddafi al-Urubah TV said the colonel - whose whereabouts remain unknown - made an audio speech, saying the retreat from the Bab al-Aziziya compound was a "tactical move".

Speaking on a local Tripoli radio station on Wednesday, Col Gaddafi pledged "martyrdom or victory" in the fight against Nato and the Libyan rebels, al-Urubah said.

Col Gaddafi also said that his compound was destroyed by 64 Nato air strikes.
[snip]
Al-Urubah also broadcast what it said was a live telephone interview with government spokesman Musa Ibrahim.

He said Libya would be turned into a "burning volcano and a fire under the feet of the invaders".

The spokesman also said that 6,000 volunteers had arrived to Libya to fight for Col Gaddafi.

The claim has not been independently verified.

It is not known if Col Gaddafi and his family were in Bab al-Aziziya on Tuesday, but the complex is reported to be connected by underground tunnels to various key locations across the city.

The Gaddafi family are also believed to have access to numerous safe houses in Tripoli and beyond.