Conflicting Reports On Capture Of Qaddafi Son Mutassim

There are conflicting reports from Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) about whether Mutassim Qaddafi, a son of ousted leader Muammar Qaddafi, has been captured.

Some transitional council officials told news agencies that Mutassim was captured in Sirte, the Qaddafi hometown, and had been transferred to Benghazi in Libya's east for questioning.

However, NTC officials in Benghazi said they had been unable to confirm his capture.

Mutassim Qaddafi had held the title of national security adviser under his father's regime.

Reports say Qaddafi opponents fired celebratory bursts of gunfire into the air in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, as news of Mutassim Qaddafi's arrest circulated.

Muammar Qaddafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years, and another prominent son, Saif al-Islam, have been in hiding since Tripoli fell to forces of the National Transitional Council in August.

compiled from agency reports