#World news RSS feed Muammar Gaddafi RSS feed Libya RSS feed Middle East and North Africa RSS feed Africa RSS feed Nato RSS feed Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off * Jump to content [s] * Jump to site navigation [0] * Jump to search [4] * Terms and conditions [8] Edition: UK * US Sign in Mobile * Your profile * Your details * Your comments * Your clippings * Your lists Sign out Mobile About us * About us * Contact us * Press office * Guardian Print Centre * Guardian readers' editor * Observer readers' editor * Terms of service * Privacy policy * Advertising guide * Digital archive * Digital edition * Guardian Weekly * Buy Guardian and Observer photos Today's paper * The Guardian * G2 features * Comment and debate * Editorials, letters and corrections * Obituaries * Other lives * Sport * Film & music * Subscribe Subscribe * Subscribe to the Guardian * iPhone app * iPad edition * Kindle * Extra * Guardian Weekly * Digital edition * All our services The Guardian home The Observer home ____________________ [UK and World news] Search * News * Sport * Comment * Culture * Business * Money * Life & style * Travel * Environment * Tech * TV * Video * Dating * Offers * Jobs * News * World news * Muammar Gaddafi Gaddafi's death: growing revulsion at the treatment of the dictator's body As hundreds queue to see the former Libyan leader and his son lying dead in cold storage, the NTC is split on what to do next * Share * Tweet this * * * Email * Daniel Boffey * The Observer, Saturday 22 October 2011 20.05 BST Gaddafi confirmed dead The body of the dead former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi lies on a mattress inside a storage freezer in Misrata. Photograph: Mohamed Messara/EPA The international acclaim for the Libyan revolution is being tempered by growing revulsion at the treatment of the bodies of Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim. As investigations continue into the circumstances of their deaths, their bullet-ridden bodies were still on show, with hundreds of people queuing to see them laid out in a cold storage room in Misrata. Occasional chants of "Allahu Akbar" ["God is greatest"] were heard from the crowd, but the calls were muted by the face masks worn by onlookers to overcome the smell from the decomposing bodies. Nearly three days after the Libyan leader was captured and killed, he has still not been buried, contrary to Islamic custom – a fact that appears to be causing divisions within the National Transitional Council, which appeared paralysed by indecision over what to do with the bodies. One NTC official admitted that the continued presence of Gaddafi in cold storage was a cause of contention. "Under Islam he should have been buried quickly but they have to reach an agreement whether he is to be buried in Misrata, Sirte or somewhere else", he said. Gaddafi's widow called from her exile in Algeria for the bodies of her son and husband to be entrusted to her, amid speculation that they could be secretly buried at sea, as in the case of Osama bin Laden, to prevent a burial place becoming a shrine. There was confusion last night as to whether a postmortem had taken place earlier in the day. Fathi al-Bashaagha, the Misrata military council spokesman, said: "There will be no postmortem today, nor any day." But the NTC's foreign affairs spokesman, Ahmed Gebreel, later told the BBC that the postmortem had been carried out on Saturday. Gebreel also said a deal had been reached with Gaddafi's extended family to hand over the dictator's body. The authorities are adamant that it was necessary to put the dictator and his son on show to reassure the Libyan people. The oil ministe,r Ali Tarhouni, said: "I told them to keep it [the body] in the freezer for a few days … to make sure that everybody knows he is dead." The UN has called for a full investigation into the circumstances of the dictator's death. Video footage recording the minutes after Gaddafi's capture last Thursday, when his convoy came under Nato and rebel attack, shows an alive but injured Gaddafi pleading for his life. Footage of Mutassim smoking a cigarette and seemingly only slightly injured shortly before his death has also raised concerns. The footage has provoked the US into calling on Libya's new authorities to give a full account of the deaths in an "open and transparent manner". of the fighters said to have captured the 69-year-old claimed Libya's former "brother leader" repeatedly offered gold and money in return for his life. "Gaddafi was confused, clearly frightened," Hammad Mufta Ali, 28, told the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera. "He was repeating that he would give everyone cash, that he would pay for our children to go to school. At one point someone yelled at him that instead of talking about money, he should pray, like a good Muslim, and entrust his soul to God before dying. But he continued to say he was ready to give us money, lots of money and gold." Mufta Ali, the commander of the rebel Dawahi Brigade, told the newspaper he arrived moments after rebels had pulled Gaddafi from a drainage pipe in Sirte. He claimed the former Libyan leader died from blood loss from shrapnel and bullet wounds, rather than from one final gunshot to the head. "There was a lot of confusion and Gaddafi was surrounded by our men. I saw him pushed and dragged down to the pavement," he said. "He was losing blood, lots of blood. At 69 the body can't resist. I believe he died from blood loss. "When they left with him laid out in the back, I think he was already dead." * Print this Print this * Share * Contact us Send to a friend Close this popup Sender's name ____________________ Recipient's email address ____________________ Send Your IP address will be logged Share Close this popup Short link for this page: http://gu.com/p/32zhd * StumbleUpon * reddit * Tumblr * Digg * LinkedIn * Google Bookmarks * del.icio.us * livejournal * Facebook * Twitter Contact us Close this popup * Report errors or inaccuracies: reader@observer.co.uk * Letters for publication should be sent to: letters@observer.co.uk * If you need help using the site: userhelp@guardian.co.uk * Call the main Guardian and Observer switchboard: +44 (0)20 3353 2000 * + Advertising guide + License/buy our content Article history About this article Close this popup Gaddafi's death: growing revulsion at the treatment of the dictator's body This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 20.05 BST on Saturday 22 October 2011. A version appeared on p4 of the Main section section of the Observer on Sunday 23 October 2011. It was last modified at 00.14 BST on Sunday 23 October 2011. 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