Libya's NTC denies Saif al-Islam escape

Nasser al-Manea, the spokesperson for the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) denied reports circulating in the media that  Saif al-Islam Gaddafi had fled to Niger by plane. Al-Manea said in the weekly conference convened yesterday, Wednesday: “This news is invalid. It is not true” adding that those who spread these rumours "are aiming to destablise the country and create seditions between the Libyan people." According to media reports,  the alleged  escape is linked to the battles which took  place at Tripoli airport, while other news reports said that Saif al-Islam had fled to Cyprus. On Monday 4 June, the  al-Awfea Brigades attacked Tripoli  airport after their head, Abu Oegeila al-Hebeishi, was detained under suspicion of cooperating with the former leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime to abort the revolution. Reports that the airport was unguarded has raised fresh questions about the central government's grip on security, coming a month after another militia occupied the office of the Prime Minister, Abdurrahim el-Keeb, and little more than two weeks before planned national elections.