Gaddafi Dead Body: Display of Corpse Closes (VIDEO)
Libya's interim rulers have ended public showing of the bodies of Muammar Gaddafi, his son and army chief after they were on display in a freezer for the past four days.
Guards have locked the gates to the cold storage container where thousands of people have visited the display of the former dictator's body since he was captured and killed last week.
Some have speculated that the decision to close the display is an indication that a decision has been made on how and where to bury Gaddafi's body. Two National Transitional Council (NTC) officials have confirmed the decision to close the showing but did not give a reason.
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Due to the constant coming and going of visitors, the refrigeration has failed to preserve the body. Guards have been handing out face masks to deal with the stench of the decomposing bodies. They have also been spraying the corpses with disinfectant at night.
The handling of Gaddafi's body has been a contentious topic in Libya since their leader's death.
NTC leaders want Gadaffi to be buried in an unknown location to prevent a shrine from being built in his honor.
Gaddafi's tribe in Sirte has asked for the body so they can bury it there. Gaddafi stated in his will that he wanted to buried in Sirte.
An NTC official in Misrata said that while some people want Gaddafi to be buried in the invaders’ cemetery in Misrata, the burial place for fighters under his regime, others have supported the request to let his tribe bury him, according to Reuters.
"Some people want to hand them over to his tribe, but we have some demands,” the unnamed official said. “Many people have been kidnapped and killed by people in Sirte since the 1980s. We asked them to give those bodies back. Since then they have been quiet.”
The fate of Gaddafi’s body is expected to be decided by a committee formed by the NTC.
Gaddafi was killed in Sirte on Thursday after months in hiding. Videos of him bloodied and beaten have spread around the world.
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO OF GADDAFI'S BODY IN FREEZER
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO OF A CAPTURED GADDAFI BELOW
