Reporters imprisoned in Libya

August 24th, 2011 - 10:49 pm ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt  

Tripoli, Aug 24 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A group of international journalists are being held in a luxury hotel in the Libyan capital Tripoli. The journalists were in the city to cover the rebel insurgency that seems to have brought down the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

The journalists are reportedly being held in Rixos Hotel with government forces watching over them. The rebels reported earlier in the week that they have arrested three of Gaddafi’s children but the eldest son surfaced just hours later on the street of Tripoli surrounded by supporters.

Gaddafi seems to be holding the journalists for strategic reasons. Shortly after the announcement that he has been arrested, Seif al-Islam reportedly stormed the $400-per-night hotel and ordered the journalists to follow him. As they travelled in another vehicle behind the one occupied by Islam and his guards, the reporters were made to film the events and send it back to their various networks.

Reports coming from the hotel say there is no electricity and the air conditioners are all off. When Islam got to the hotel, he reportedly gave a ‘V’ sign which denotes victory and told the journalists that, “You’ve missed a great story. So come on with us, we’re going to hit the hottest spots in Tripoli.”

Rebel forces stormed into Tripoli early this week and they are engaged in a fierce battle with security forces on the compound of Gaddafi.

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