How did Muammar Gaddafi, the dictator who ruled for more than 40 years on Libya, die on October 20, 2011, several months after the fall of Tripoli? In 2011, the Libyan National Transitional Council claimed that he had been fatally wounded in a shootout. But several other theories have been evoked over the years, including the intervention of foreign powers. Alfred de Montesquiou, reporter for "Paris Match", is certain to know the scenario of the last hours of Kadhafi. In the first episode of the "Paris Match Stories" podcast, produced by Europe 1 Studio, he goes into details about his investigation in Libya at the time, with some of the most prominent witnesses, and a suspect seen on a photo, next to the corpse of Gaddafi.
In 2011, the Arab Spring wins Libya. The people revolt, the dictator must flee. When does his destiny really change?
Alfred de Montesquiou: "During the month of October, the city of Sirte, where he found refuge, began to fall into the hands of the rebels.On the night of 19 to 20 October, Moatassem, the most radical son of Muammar Gaddafi, believes that he and his praetorian guard, an army of furious madmen drugged to the marrow, will no longer be able to resist.The area in which his father and he are located is very limited and the risk of being sprayed by a missile is Moatassem suggests to his father a breakthrough to reach the desert.In the early morning of Thursday 20th, they leave discreetly aboard 40 pick-ups and leave Sirte, but a drone spots them, fires a missile and wakes them up. rebels, a fight of unprecedented ferocity.
What do Muammar Gaddafi and his son Moatassem do then?
A from M: "In confusion, Moatassem releases his father Abu Bakr, the head of Gaddafi's bodyguards, Mansour Daw, the chief of his security, and some bodyguards who swore to die for the Raïs, decide The group is trapped and after 140 meters they see other rebels standing on an elevated road trying to hide in two passing irrigation pipes. under this road, Abu Bakr sinks into one, Gaddafi into the other.
This is the end of the dictator's run. The young rebels of the unit arrest him. And after having expelled Gaddafi from a crowd of thirty people determined to lynch him, they set the prisoner in a small ambulance and set off. They want to bring him back to Misrata, their fiefdom. To have captured the "Guide" is to ensure a huge prestige.
When getting into the ambulance, Gaddafi is still alive?
"Yes, when he gets into the ambulance, Gaddafi is wounded, he has bruises, cuts, his bleeding temple, but he is alive, and he will be executed on board 100 kilometers away. Misrata: There are several things that confirm this scenario, but especially the photos taken by a freelance American photographer that corroborate this thesis.On one image in particular, we see that Muammar Gaddafi wears a big bandage on the chest. next day, I would find that this bandage exactly matches two bullet holes of fairly large caliber, shot closely, and that it is the mortal wound.
But it is above all another element that caught me on the same picture. We see a young rebel: Sana al-Sadek. His face is decomposed with fear. It is bright red. We feel terror in his eyes while around him everyone is happy. My belief is that this 19-year-old man in the ambulance, furious at the thought that the Raïs could survive, shot at him, though, two bullets into the solar plexus.
Moreover, this Sana al-Sadek released a video the next day on YouTube. He says face to face: 'It's me, I killed Gaddafi!' As proof of his act, he exhibits a huge gold ring: the seal of command of Gaddafi. A ring that could only be removed from a dead man whose corpse is still hot. This confirms that Gaddafi was killed while he was in the ambulance by this young rebel Sana al-Sadek. "
Why is it so important to know the truth about Gaddafi's death?
"Immediately after the announcement of Gaddafi's death, wacky theories emerged, with some conspiracy websites claiming that the Rais had been assassinated by the Qataris, others by the Saudis, by Gaddafi factions and even by the secret service. French, to know the scenario of the last hours of Gaddafi allows to sweep the idea of an extrajudicial execution on the order of a democracy and in particular of France.It is important to know it for the stability of this region but also vis-à-vis a certain notion of the right of interference. "
"Paris Match Stories" is a Paris Match podcast
Presentation: Marion Mertens
Production: Europe 1 Studio with Guillaume Vasseau at the realization
Extracts reportage: Alfred de Montesquiou
With the help of the Documentation Europe Service 1