Rebels Break into Qaddafi's Farm

On Saturday, a country home owned by Muammar Qaddafi was ransacked and destroyed. Crowds broke into the compound after Tripoli fell to rebels this week.

The farm is one of Qaddafi’s many properties that have been looted and destroyed since rebels advanced on Triploi.

A neighbourhood resident said, "We used to hear about this farm, but never knew what was inside. Now we see everything inside it. Even for you as journalists, you did not know anything about Gaddafi's farm. What do you think about all the wealth and beauty you see?"

A luxury villa in central Tripoli belonging to the embattled leader was also taken over by the rebels. Qaddafi’s compound in the upscale Gargur district was bombed by NATO in April in what Gaddafi allies said at the time was an attempt to kill their leader.

Portraits of Qaddafi in the villa were destroyed and then stamped on by protesters outside.

An armored vehicle riddled with bullet holes was parked near the gate. Inside, broken furniture filled lavish rooms, and chairs and men's clothing floated in a vast indoor swimming pool.

Personal photo albums littered the villa’s lawn, and one photograph showed a younger Gaddafi smiling alongside Moussa Koussa, his former deputy, who defected to the West shortly after the revolution began.

Speaker:
A neighbourhood resident