Libya's Col Muammar Gaddafi was killed in crossfire in an assault on his birthplace of Sirte, officials say.
Acting Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said he had been
shot in the head in an exchange between Gaddafi loyalists and National
Transitional Council fighters.
He confirmed that Col Gaddafi had been taken alive, but
had died before reaching hospital.
Nato's governing body, meeting in the coming hours, is
expected to declare an end to its Libyan bombing campaign.
Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that
with the death of Col Gaddafi "that moment has now moved much
closer".
"After 42 years, Col Gaddafi's rule of fear has
finally come to an end," he said. "I call on all Libyans to put aside
their differences and work together to build a brighter future."
Golden gun
Mr Jibril, number two in the National Transitional
Council (NTC), held a news conference in Tripoli to confirm the colonel's
death.
"We have been waiting for this moment for a long
time. Muammar Gaddafi has been killed," he said.
Video footage suggests Col Gaddafi was dragged through
the streets.
It is unclear from the footage, broadcast by al-Jazeera
TV, whether he was alive or dead at the time.
Mr Jibril, number two in the National Transitional
Council (NTC), held a news conference in Tripoli to confirm the colonel's
death.
Later, he told journalists that a "forensic
report" had concluded that the colonel had died from bullet wounds after
he had been captured and driven away.
"When the car was moving it was caught in crossfire
between the revolutionaries and Gaddafi forces in which he was hit by a bullet
in the head," said Mr Jibril, quoting from the report.
"The forensic doctor could not tell if it came from
the revolutionaries or from Gaddafi's forces."
Earlier, some NTC fighters gave a different account of
the colonel's death, saying he had been shot by his captors when he tried to
escape.
One NTC fighter told the BBC that he found Col Gaddafi
hiding in a hole, and the former leader had begged him not to shoot.
The fighter showed reporters a golden pistol he said he
had taken from Col Gaddafi.
Arabic TV channels showed images of troops surrounding
two large drainage pipes where the reporters said Col Gaddafi was found.
US President Barack Obama said it was a "momentous
day" for Libya, now that tyranny had fallen.
He said the country had a "long and winding road
towards full democracy", but the US and other countries would stand behind
Tripoli.
Col Gaddafi was toppled from power in August after 42
years in charge of the country.
He was making his last stand in Sirte alongside two of
his sons, Mutassim and Saif al-Islam, according to reports.
Nato air strike
A body officials identified as that of Mutassim has been
shown on Libyan TV.
A reporter for the Reuters news agency described how the
body of Mutassim -- the former national security adviser -- had been laid out
on blankets on the floor of a house in the city of Misrata, while local people
jostled to take pictures of the corpse with their mobile phones.
The body of Col Gaddafi was also taken to Misrata.
There are conflicting reports as to the whereabouts of
Saif al-Islam.
Acting Justice Minister Mohammad al-Alagi told the AP
news agency Saif al-Islam had been captured and taken to hospital with a leg
wound.
But another NTC official said his whereabouts were
unknown.
Nato, which has been running a bombing campaign in Libya
for months, said it had carried out an air strike earlier on Thursday.
French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said French jets
had fired warning shots to halt a convoy carrying Col Gaddafi as it tried to
flee Sirte.
He said Libyan fighters had then descended and taken the
colonel.
Proof of Col Gaddafi's fate came in grainy pieces of
video, first circulated among fighters, and then broadcast by international
news channels.
The first images showed a bloodied figure presumed to be
Col Gaddafi.
Later, video emerged of the colonel being bundled on to
the back of a pick-up truck after being captured alive.
None of the video footage has been independently
verified.
'Full of challenges'
Libyans gathered in towns and cities across the country
to celebrate the reports of the colonel's death.
The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse has visited the drain where
Col Gaddafi was reportedly found by NTC forces
Groups of young men fired guns in the air, and drivers
honked horns in celebration.
In the capital Tripoli, wild scenes of celebration
continued into the night, with cars clogging the city centre.
Col Gaddafi's death came after weeks of fierce fighting
for Sirte, one of the last remaining pockets of resistance.
A senior official, Mahmoud Shammam, told the BBC that
fighting throughout Libya was over.
World leaders urged the NTC to carry through its promise
to reform the country.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who had taken a leading
role in Nato's intervention, said it was "a day to remember all of Col
Gaddafi's victims".
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called it a
"historic" moment, but warned: "The road ahead for Libya and its
people will be difficult and full of challenges."
Officials said the NTC intended to announce the
"liberation of the country" in the coming days, allowing them to
begin pushing through democratic reforms that will lead to elections.
**At the scene
*Rana Jawad, BBC News, Tripoli
Residents swarmed the streets of the capital, waving
flags and cheering from the windows of their cars.
Tripoli's myriad of streets in various districts has been
gridlocked for hours.
People and fighters manning checkpoints shouted out
"God is Great", as some distributed mints and biscuits - later dubbed
"revolutionary treats" - to passing cars.
There are many who will be wondering "what
next?" for Libya as it embarks on a new era unobtainable for almost half a
century.
But for many Libyans tonight, it is a time to rejoice.
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