Libyan fighter crew deliberately crash their jet after being ordered to bomb protesters



Gaddafi's supporters vow 'We will fight until death'

Italian government says estimated 1,000 have died in Libyan violence

Opposition forces claim to control east of the country

Gaddafi's number two resigns and urges army to 'heed people's demands'

Former British diplomat says Gaddafi's regime 'in death throes'

Fears 'unstable' leader could use chemical weapons on own people



A Libyan pilot deliberately crashed his fighter plane after being ordered to bomb protesters in the city of Benghazi.

The officer ejected from his jet along with his crew before the crash, according to a report by news agency Reuters.

His extraordinary action came as the country teetered on the brink of civil war as forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi pledged to fight for the dictator ‘until death’ while protesters seized control of the eastern region.



Gaddafi’s rule is becoming increasingly fragile after his number two stepped down and the United Nations called for an end to violence.

Crash: A Libyan crew downed their Sukhoi 22 aircraft west of Ijdabiya after refusing to follow orders to bomb Benghazi

Enemy of the people: An effigy representing Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi, marked with a Star of David on its forehead, hangs from a flagpole in Benghazi

Vicious: Video footage shows the so-called 'yellow hat mercenaries' attacking civilian homes and attempting to start fires

The eastern port of Tobruk has declared itself free while Libyan soldiers were quoted as saying they were no longer loyal to the dictator and that the east was out of his control.



An estimated 1,000 people have been killed after the dictator launched a brutal crackdown on protests against his regime. A rambling speech by the ageing leader yesterday was met with fury and dismay by demonstrators.

Thousands of them were flooding the streets of Tripoli as they tried to maintain order in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations.



Huge swathes of the country to the east of the capital have fallen to protesters, with Benghazi already declared a free city.

It has led to tanks and other armoured vehicles retreating west, where military loyalists continue to murder opponents under Gaddafi’s orders.



‘We will fight until death,’ said a soldier in his early 20s outside a military compound close to Tripoli’s Green Square, which has been cleared of demonstrators.



‘The country needs stability at a time like this, and this is what we are providing. The people are on our side.’



Despite such words, bodies continued to pile up in city hospitals following massacres carried out by snipers with high velocity rifles, secret servicemen with machine gun, helicopter gunships, and even fighter bombers.

Celebrations: Live footage shows triumphant scenes on the streets of Tobruk after protesters took control

Standing firm: Libyan army soldiers and other protesters stand over an army van shouting slogans in Tobruk

Shift in power: A popular defence committee man flashes a V sign in front an anti-aircraft missile at an abandoned Libyan military base near Tobruk

Revolt: Protesters amass in opposition to Gaddafi after taking control of Tobruk

Tanks are taking positions around major public buildings, including government offices, while sandbags are being used to reinforce defences.



Heavy gunfire broke out in Tripoli as forces loyal to Gaddafi tightened their grip on the Libyan capital while anti-government protesters claimed control of many cities elsewhere and top government officials and diplomats turn against the longtime leader.



While residents of cities in the eastern half of the country celebrated, raising the flags of the old monarchy, the mood in Tripoli was bleak. Residents were afraid to leave their houses, saying pro-Gaddafi forces were opening fire randomly in the streets.

Former British Foreign Secretary Lord Owen today told of his fears 'unstable' Gaddafi could launch chemical weapons against his own citizens, similar to Saddam Hussein's assault on Iraqi Kurds at Halabja in March 1988.



He said: 'We know this is a person who could unleash either chemical or biological weapons - which he possibly still has - and certainly will not hesitate to use his air force on peaceful protests.



'It would be impossible for us to sit by if he did unleash his air force.'

William Hague said the British Government was prepared to send as many planes to Libya as necessary to rescue stranded Britons and urged nationals to make contact with the Foreign Office as soon as possible.



Defiant: Gaddafi declared it was his country and he had no intention of stepping down

Armed uprising: A protester shows spent ammunition casing, which he says are from bullets fired by pro-government soldiers in the past few days

Seizing control: Protesters celebrate in the streets of Tobruk after Gaddafi lost control of the eastern region

The fighting in Tripoli came as the opposition reportedly seized control of Misrata, with witnesses saying people were honking their horns and raising pre-Gadhafi flags from the monarchy to celebrate.

Misrata would be the first major city in the west to fall to anti-government forces, which have mainly been concentrated in the east. Faraj al-Misrati, a local doctor, said six residents had been killed and 200 injured since January 18, when protesters attacked offices and buildings affiliated with Gadhafi's regime.

STRANDED BRITISH OIL WORKER APPEALS FOR HELP





A British oil worker, one of 300 people stranded at a camp in eastern Libya, appealed to the British government on Wednesday to rescue them, saying armed villagers had stolen their vehicles and most of their supplies.

'We are living every day in fear of our lives as the local people are armed ... We're living a nightmare here,' said James Coyle said in a telephone interview with BBC radio from a camp in the Amal desert region of eastern Libya.

The people at the camp have very little food and water, 'maybe enough to last us one day,' he said.

'Local people from the surrounding villages ... are coming in with AK-47s and just taking what they want. We have no protection against it," he said.

'They've looted ... the German camp next door, they've taken all their vehicles, all our vehicles ... everything. So we are here desperate for the British government to come and get us.' The British Foreign Office had no immediate comment.

There are 90 Britons at the camp as well as Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Germans, Austrians and Romanians, Mr Coyle said. The workers have remained trapped on remote oil and gas construction projects around Libya after flights were stopped. Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said the Government seemed to have been 'slow off the mark' in responding to the turmoil. Britons in Tripoli today claimed embassy staff assigned to help them leave Libya instead tried to flee the capital themselves.

Ryan Mundy, 23, whose parents Glen and Jayne are stuck in Tripoli along with 50 British teachers, told the Standard: 'Diplomats have been waving their passports trying to get to the front of the queues. It is madness. 'The violence was centred around military bases but my parents are now worried about leaving their house as the violence is getting closer.'



He said residents had formed committees to protect the city, clean the streets and treat the injured.

'The solidarity among the people here is amazing, even the disabled are helping out,' he said in a telephone interview.

New videos posted by Libya's opposition on Facebook also showed scores of anti-government protesters raising the flag from the pre-Gadhafi monarchy on a building in Zawiya, on the outskirts of Tripoli. Another showed protesters lining up cement blocks and setting tires ablaze to fortify positions on a square inside the capital.

The footage couldn't be independently confirmed.

General Soliman Mahmoud al-Obeidy earlier said Gaddafi was no longer 'trustworthy', adding he decided to switch allegiances after hearing the authorities had given orders to fire on civilians in Benghazi.



'He bombs with airplanes and uses excessive force against unarmed people," he told Reuters.



'I am sure he will fall in the coming few days.'



Residents said Tobruk, site of major battles between German and Allied forces in World War Two, was now in the hands of the people and had been so for about three days.

In Benghazi, military defectors have been seen hoarding weaponry to keep it away from Gaddafi's remaining supporters around the second city.

An air force officer has also been quoted as saying the regime flew in up to 4,000 mercenaries on Libyan transport planes.



Libya has now been suspended from the Arab League and, as thousands of foreign nationals attempt to escape the North African state, the UN has demanded the violence against protesters ends.



The Security Council said the Libyan government should ‘meet its responsibility to protect its population’ and said the regime must respect international humanitarian law.

Libya’s deputy permanent representative to the UN Ibrahim Dabbashi said the council’s statement was ‘not strong enough’ while high-ranking members of the Libyan government have quit.



Key officials have quit the government, with many joining the protesters calling for Gaddafi to step down after 41 years and face justice for crimes against humanity.



Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the UK's ex-ambassador to the United Nations, said Gaddafi's 41-year rule was nearing its end, with military chiefs deserting.



He called for sanctions to increase pressure on the regime and said there was a 'very strong' moral argument for enforcing a no-fly zone - but doubted it would happen.



He said: 'There would be strong resistance from countries like Russia and China, who don't want a precedent set that might affect them in the future.'



Sir Jeremy said events in Libya would move too quickly for such a resolution, adding: 'I think Gaddafi is in his death throes now.'



Triumphant: Tobruk residents said the city was now in the hands of the people and had been so for about three day

Given the boot: Protesters use a shoe to hit a picture of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the eastern Libyan city of Musaid

Interior minister Abdeh Fattah Younes-al-Abidi, thought of as Gaddafi's second-in-command, has stepped down and urged Libya's armed forces to 'join and heed the people's demands'.

Youssef Sawani, a senior aide to Gaddafi’s son Saif, sent a text message to Reuters saying he had resigned out of ‘dismay’ at the violence.



British Foreign Secretary William Hague is among those who have said that there are ‘many indications of the structure of the state collapsing in Libya.The resignation of so many ambassadors and diplomats, reports of ministers changing sides within Libya itself, shows the system is in a very serious crisis.‘

But, speaking in a televised address on Tuesday evening, Gaddafi vowed to fight on and die a ‘martyr’ on Libyan soil.



Just as ominously, he urged his supporters to ‘re-win’ the streets today, bathing them in blood if necessary.



In Benghazi, which is now controlled by anti-government protesters, those watching the broadcast on giant screens angrily threw shoes at it.



'Massacre': Egyptians fleeing across the border from Libya claimed 2,000 people had been killed by security forces in second city Benghazi

Mean streets: Men loyal to Colonel Gaddafi are shown on TV to be the only ones left roaming Tripoli after protesters were fired on by security force

The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights says that protesters control Tobruk, Sirte, Misrata, Khoms, Tarhounah, Zenten, Al-Zawiya and Zouara.



The Warfalla tribe, the largest in the country, has also joined calls from other tribes for Gaddafi to stand down.



While a great boost to pro-democracy campaigners, this also raised the worrying prospect of thousands of armed militia heading towards Tripoli to fight the loyalists.



‘It would be an appalling civil war,’ said a pro-democracy campaigner in Tripoli. ‘Libyans will be killing their brothers and sisters because of Gaddafi. The prospect is terrifying.’



Nationals of Lebanon, Turkey, Syria and Germany have joined thousands of Tunisians leaving Libya by its western land border to escape violent protests, the International Organisation for Migration said on Wednesday.



In a statement released in Geneva, the IOM said many of those arriving in Tunisia from Libya were trying to reach Djerba airport to get flights home. Others are being sheltered in low-cost hotels.



‘In addition to several thousand returning Tunisians, there were some Lebanese, Turkish, Syrian and three German nationals who had arrived asking for onward travel assistance,’ the IOM said, citing its local staff and Red Crescent officials.

Rebelling: Soldiers in the eastern city of Tobruk say they are no longer supporting Gaddafi

Defiant: a Libyan man holding a placard reading in Arabic 'Youth of Libya, 17th February revolution' as he takes part in an anti government gathering in the sea port city of Tobruk

The IOM is trying to find new evacuation routes from Libya, which has an estimated 1.5 million foreign nationals, including people working there and those passing through on the way to other destinations.

A Royal Navy warship is on its way to rescue 3,500 Britons trapped in Libya, while a plane has also been chartered to take ex-pats home as the horrifying scale of the violence became clear.

Announcing the rescue mission, the Foreign Secretary said: ‘In light of the fluid and dangerous situation, we are urgently reinforcing our team on the ground with specialist personnel to provide help and assistance to British nationals.



‘The safety of British nationals in Libya is of paramount concern to us.’

He said many of those trying to flee had been thwarted by flight cancellations and closures of airspace.







The frigate HMS Cumberland is being redeployed from the eastern Mediterranean to international waters near Libya, Mr Hague said, ‘so that it is pre-positioned in case it is required to play a role in assisting British nationals’.

The situation at Tripoli airport was described as 'total chaos' as foreigners of all nationalities struggled to get out.



Kathleen Burnett, of Baltimore, Ohio, said: 'The airport was mobbed, you wouldn't believe the number of people. It was total chaos. Everybody was being checked out by the police but everyone was very obedient.'

British couple John and Gill Bettison had arrived in Tripoli last Saturday, but quickly realised the situation was becoming more dangerous and managed to get a flight back to the UK on Monday.



The couple told the BBC when they went to Green Square on Sunday, they came across pro-Gaddafi supporters and there was a relaxed 'carnival atmosphere', including women and children.



However, Mrs Bettison said: 'As we were walking away from the square, there were small groups of mainly young men gathering, and as it got dark the atmosphere started to change and once it was dark we started to hear gunfire.'



Mr Bettison said: 'It started off with just minor gunfire and then it went on to bursts of automatic.



'There were a couple of spates of artillery fire that we could hear, and it was a bit concerning as we heard it get nearer and nearer our hotel.'



We will be free: Protesters chant anti-government slogans while holding a banner depicting Gaddafi in Tobruk yesterday. The banner reads: 'Libya will be free and Gaddafi will be out'

The east of the country including the cities of Tobruk and Benghazi appeared to be under opposition control following a series of defections - including key Gaddafi lieutenant interior minister Abdel Fattah Younes al Abidi.



Non-essential British embassy staff and families are being pulled out.

Turkey has sent two civilian ferries and one military ship to Benghazi, while Serbia, Russia, Italy, the Netherlands and France sent planes to Tripoli.



Italy sent air force transport aircraft to Benghazi to evacuate roughly 100 Italian citizens.



Gaddafi, who vowed to fight to ‘the last drop of blood’, appears increasingly deranged and is losing supporters by the hour.



The Libyan ambassadors to Washington and Paris are the latest diplomats to resign in disgust at his attempts to crush the pro-democracy protests.

Two senior military pilots who defected to Malta – parking their Mig fighter jets alongside an easyJet plane – confirmed their orders had been to bomb civilians on the ground.

An armoured brigade is also said to have swapped sides.

Government buildings and police stations have been burned down, while banks have been looted.



One Al Bayda resident said: ‘This is worse than anyone can imagine, this is something no human can fathom. They are bombing us with planes, they are killing us with tanks.’



Saif Gaddafi, the dictator’s London-educated son, claimed the air force had merely bombarded ‘arms depots far from populated areas’.

Ruined: Gaddafi spoke yesterday from his deserted and almost derelict former Bab al-Aziziya residence, which was bombed in 1986 by U.S. aircraft

'No To Destruction, Yes To Building Our Country': Protesters rip down signs from a building in the coastal city of Tobruk while a demonstrator brnadishes a placard calling for change



International response: Demonstrators opposed to the regime of Gaddafi gather outside Downing Street

Scores of corpses have not been cleared away because residents are fearful of being shot, according to Mohammed Ali, of the Libyan Salvation Front. He quoted eyewitnesses as saying some injured protesters had been left to bleed to death.



Gaddafi has apparently threatened that bodies will not be released unless their loved ones sign ‘confessions’ branding them as traitors.

THE HIRED KILLERS ON £18,000 A MAN LED BY GADDAFI'S SON Gaddafi is employing Russian and Eastern European ‘white mercenaries’ at £18,000 a head to brutally crush protests in his desperate attempt to cling to power. The hired guns, some paid thousands of dollars a day, are fighting alongside special forces still loyal to the embattled Libyan leader. They have been spotted in Tripoli, along with black African mercenaries recruited from neighbouring countries.

All face being shot or hung if they are captured by the increasingly large number of armed protesters on the streets.

One pro-democracy demonstrator said: ‘They easily stand out among the black African mercenaries from French-speaking places such as Chad. All are clearly experienced in warfare and being paid huge sums of dollars to uphold Gaddafi’s regime.

‘French-speaking Africans who are caught are being hung and machine-gunned and the same will happen to the white mercenaries.

‘Because of this there is huge distrust of any kind of foreigners. They should leave as soon as they can.

‘Arabs are united by their language, and by Islam, but those from abroad stand out straight away. They will be targeted.’

Most of the ‘white mercenaries’ are believed to be from former Soviet Union countries, including the Ukraine, and have been identified by their language and by those captured and interrogated before being killed.

Many carry passports and identification papers from the armies for which they were once regular soldiers.

Gaddafi’s son and heir Saif is understood to be co-ordinating the mercenaries’ operations.



One protester told Al Jazeera television: ‘Our people are dying. It is the policy of scorched earth.’



And a Tripoli resident who gave his name as Ali said: ‘We knew he was crazy, but it’s still a terrible shock to see him turning mercenaries on his own people and just mowing down unarmed demonstrators.’



There was extra peril for non-Arabs including Britons who risked being revenge targets after word spread that Gaddafi was paying ‘white mercenaries’ to inflict bloodshed on his people.



One witness who had fled Benghazi claimed at least 2,000 people had been killed there – many shot with heavy calibre weapons – though this figure could not be verified.



Despite the brutality, thousands were celebrating there last night as protesters claimed control of the port city.



On tractors and trucks, the first people to escape the murderous two-day rampage reached the safety of Egypt yesterday.



By last night, several thousand had crossed the border to freedom, bringing with them tales of innocent men and women being cut down by Gaddafi’s mercenaries.



Hassan Kamel Mohamed, a 24-year-old steel worker from Tobruk, said: ‘There were thugs everywhere and they would pull weapons on you at any time.’



Suleiman Al Zugeilil, another anti-government protester, claimed protesters had stood firm.



‘After the massacres in Benghazi, the armoured brigade, which has tanks, joined the protesters in sympathy with the people,’ he claimed.



In Tobruk, locals burnt the regime’s HQ and chanted: ‘Gaddafi you are a coward.’





The British armoured carrier on a Libyan street

By JACK DOYLE

This picture is the first evidence that military equipment made in Britain is being used by Colonel Gaddafi against protesters in Libya.



The image is from footage captured by an amateur cameraman and smuggled out of Libya in recent days which shows an armoured personnel carrier speeding past demonstrators.



The vehicle has been identified as British-made. Critics say the picture dramatically exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of Britain’s foreign policy: Our ministers offer vocal support to protest movements in the Arab world, but at the same time they are arming their despotic oppressors.



Hypocritical: The British-made carrier in Libya

Across the region yesterday, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, UK arms companies were busy peddling their wares.



Among the equipment being promoted at the Idex 2011, the Middle East’s biggest arms fair, were CS gas shotgun cartridges and stun grenades – precisely the type of weapons used by security forces to try to quell crowds of pro-democracy protesters.



According to ADS, the body that represents UK companies, an estimated £7.2billion worth of British defence exports are sold every year – half of which go to Middle Eastern countries.



Official figures show the UK Government approved at least 75 arms export licences to Libya since 2008, worth between £75million and £100million.



Since the election, British firms have sold crowd sniper rifles, tear gas and ammunition to the Gaddafi regime.



Military export licences from Britain over the first nine months of last year totalled £64.3million to Saudi Arabia, £4million to Egypt, £270million to Algeria and £15.9million to the United Arab Emirates.



We sell combat helicopters, bomb-making parts, missiles, body armour, elements for unmanned drones, military software and heavy machine guns.

