Libyan official says Gadhafi buried at dawn

MISRATA, Libya (AP) — A Misrata military council official said Moammar Gadhafi, his son Muatassim and a top aide were buried at dawn Tuesday in a secret location, with a few relatives and officials in attendance.

In a text message shown to The Associated Press, spokesman Ibrahim Beitalmal said Islamic prayers were read over the bodies. The information could not be independently verified.

In this image made from amateur video provided by the Libya Youth Movement and filmed on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011, an injured Moammar Gadhafi is surrounded by Libyan fighters in Sirte, Libya. There are international calls, led by the U.S. and Britain, for an investigation of whether Libyan fighters killed a wounded Gadhafi after pulling him out of a drainage pipe in his hometown of Sirte last week. Gadhafi's body has been on display for public viewing in Misrata since Friday. Libya's former ruler was laid out on a mattress in a refrigerated produce locker in a shopping mall in Misrata, and long lines of people have formed to get a glance at the deposed dictator. In declaring Libya's declaration Sunday, interim leader Abdul-Jalil did not mention the circumstances of Gadhafi's death, but urged his people to eschew hatred. (AP Photo/Libya Youth Movement via APTN)

The bodies of Gadhafi, his son Muatassim and former Defense Minister Abu Bakr Younis had been held in cold storage in the port city of Misrata since the dictator and members of his entourage were captured near his hometown of Sirte on Thursday. Gadhafi and Muatassim were captured alive, with some injuries, but died in unclear circumstances later that day.

Libya's interim leaders have promised an investigation, responding to mounting international pressure.

On Monday, Beitalmal had said the three would be buried in unmarked graves in a secret location to prevent vandalism. Presumably, the graves would also be kept hidden to avoid turning them into shrines for Gadhafi loyalists.

International organizations asking to see the burial site would be given access, Beitalmal said.

Over the weekend, Libya's chief pathologist, Dr. Othman el-Zentani performed autopsies on the three bodies and also took DNA samples to confirm their identities. El-Zentani has said Gadhafi died from a shot to the head, and said the full report would be released later this week, after he presents his findings to the attorney general.

It remains unclear when exactly Gadhafi suffered the fatal injury — before he was taken into custody or after he had been captured by revolutionary fighters.

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