By Hussein Shariatmadari

Gaddafi was killed and his dead body was put on display before dozens of TV cameras.

There is no doubt whatsoever that the Libyan dictator was shot dead after he was captured in his hideout. Many have witnessed his death from a close range, or watched it through the eyes of TV cameras. But questions remain, and their answer could tell a different story than what we have come to know thus far.

The pressing question is who did really kill Qaddafi? Was it the revolutionaries? Or the NATO intelligence forces? The pictures we have seen show that Qaddafi surrendered after he was taken out of his hideout. He even put his hands in the air to surrender. In that case, why did some still wanted him dead right then?

Was it the revolutionaries who were angry at Qaddafi’s numerous crimes against humanity that wanted him dead, or his Western supporters – NATO – who were terrified of the idea to have him alive and recount some of his damning secrets to the international community? Many things could be said in this respect - as well as the lessons that can be learned.

1-The final moments of the dictator while he still alive clearly show that Qaddafi comes out of his hideout while holding his hands in the air. He even mumbles some words, which is difficult to say what he meant. However, the Libyan dictator didn’t die while fighting the revolutionaries; rather he was killed immediately after he had surrendered. But Why?!

2- Qaddafi’s motionless and naked body is filmed from different angles. The pictures show several bullet wounds in his left chest and around his heart. There is also a gunshot wound in his head. This clearly shows that he was shot dead by just one person in an execution style. This is also because if he was shot by the revolutionaries, he could have had several gunshot wounds in his body - from different angles. The argument is that the revolutionaries stopped shooting after he had surrendered. And the reason is that they wanted him alive for trial and listening to what he had to say about his crimes against humanity during his reign of terror.

3 – Qaddafi’s murderer was precise in shooting him in the left chest and heart. This precise and execution-style shooting could have only come from a person who is not carried away by the event and/or excited – like the revolutionaries - which is normal in such a situation. This particular person did kill Qaddafi in cold blood and finished his mission without any excitement.

On the other hand, there is only one gunshot wound in Qaddafi’s head. This last shot could have only been for the sake of making sure he is dead – after several shots in his heart and chest.

4 – The video that shows Qaddafi surrender and later his death has been shot in two different moments. In less than a minute, we watch him surrender and in the next scene his dead body is soaked in blood and without cloth. In between, we never see any other shootings. This key scene which has been cut could have said a lot about the circumstances surrounding his death – specially seeing that the Libyan dictator was shot dead by one person and not the revolutionaries.

5 – In one of the video clips the revolutionaries shout together: “We want him – Qaddafi – alive. “ But this group call is silenced amidst several gunshots. Then we see Qaddafi’s dead body – as well as the gunshot wounds.

The above-mentioned points leave no doubt whatsoever that the revolutionaries had captured the Libyan dictator alive and didn’t kill him later. Just as importantly, they wanted him alive for trial, because he could have revealed many secrets about his crimes and his brutal regime.

6 – Under the circumstances, the question we should ask is who was really concerned to see Qaddafi alive for interrogation, trial and retribution? Which parties were truly terrified of the dictator’s confessions?

Right from the outset, the revolutionaries had made it clear that they would capture the Libyan dictator alive for trial and execution. They had repeated this several times in the past – and even reiterated it when they had captured him. Just as importantly, there is further evidence to suggest that the revolutionaries had no intention to kill him on the spot. If that is the case, then what kind of people could have really been concerned about getting him alive or listening to his confessions?

7 – Colonel Qaddafi began his dictatorship right from day one. But later in 2001 he handed over the man who was behind the Lockerbie bombing - in which an American airliner exploded in midair, killing 189 people onboard over Scotland. After this unprecedented move Qaddafi officially became an ally of the United States and its allies.

Sometime later, he dismantled his country’s nuclear program and sent its equipment to the United States – as demanded by Washington. From that day on, he became a vocal supporter of the West and its policies vis-à-vis the Middle East and North Africa. During the 33-day Israeli war on Lebanon, he didn’t allow the Libyan media to support the resistance group of Hezbollah. Similarly, during the 22-day Israeli war on Gaza, he closed Libya’s borders and didn’t allow the Palestinians into the Libyan soil.

During the South Sudan war, he supported the US- and Israeli-backed separatist groups. Also during the Chad-Sudan war over the oil-rich Darfur, he backed the militia under the leadership of Hassan Habre – along with the United States, Israel and France.

Over the past decade – at least – Qaddafi had direct contact and coordination with the CIA and the White House officials. He even donated huge amounts of money to help Sarkozy and Blair to win the elections in France and Britain. As confessed by the British officials, Musa Kosey, the intelligence chief of Libya, did work under the direct supervision of the MI6, the agency in charge of Britain’s foreign intelligence affairs…

8 – These irrefutable facts and documents unmistakably illustrate that at least over the past decade Qaddafi was one of the gophers of the United States and its allies. Therefore, his arrest and trial could have shed light on these facts and many others - if he was to make graphic and reprehensible confessions against Washington and its European allies.

This is while the US and its NATO allies have been trying to depict themselves as the saviors of the Libyan people. They want to use the NATO air strikes to highjack the revolution, and if that’s not going to be the case, at least have an influence in Libya’s future government in order to gradually undercut and cancel out the impact of the revolution. It goes without saying that a toppled Qaddafi could have had no use for the US and its allies. On the other hand, his confessions could have become yet another nightmare for the former regime’s Western allies as well as those who claim to be at the helm of the North African country’s next government.

9 – The horrendous fate of Qaddafi could teach many lessons to other pro-West regimes, dictators and political currents. After the ouster of pro-West Qaddafi, the Americans stopped their support and even wanted him dead. So this has to be the ultimate fate of all those who have made a deal with the Devil. God Almighty has this to say in His Holy Qur’an to those who behave like such people and currents:

“Just like the Satan who told man that ‘don’t believe in God.’ And when man stopped believing in God, the Satan said, ‘I distance myself from you, ‘cause I’m afraid of God, the God of the worlds.’”