• Picture purportedly shows arrest of Gaddafi
• 'Sirte has been liberated', a commander claims
• Jibril hints he may resign today as interim leader
• Read a summary of today's key events• Watch Reuters footage from Tripoli below
2.18pm: Reuters is claiming that a Libyan NTC military official has confirmed the photo we published earlier is of Muammar Gaddafi. Reuters is also saying that Gaddafi's corpse has arrived in Misrata, citing Al-Arabiya TV. Al-Arabiya says the media will be allowed to film the body. We cannot confirm either point.
2.15pm: There is mobile phone footage of the moment Gaddafi was captured, showing him alive, according to Al Jazeera. It also reports that Gaddafi's son Mutassim has been caught alive.
2.13pm: Libyan NTC information minister Mahmoud Shammam said he has confirmed that Gaddafi was killed, citing fighters who said they saw the body. He said he expected the NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul-Jalil to confirm the death soon, noting that past reports emerged "before making 100% confirmation".
"Our people in Sirte saw the body ... Mustafa Abdul-Jalil will confirm it soon," he told the Associated Press. "Revolutionaries say Gaddafi was in a convoy and that they attacked the convoy."
Jalil is due to speak soon.
2.05pm: More NTC officials have confirmed Gaddafi's death. AFP's Sarah Hussein tweets:
NTC spokesman Abdul Hafiz Ghoga confirms to AFP that #Gaddafi (#Gadhafi) is dead #Libya
NTC's Kenshill on BBCWorld "Very reliable sources :#Gaddafi & 3 aides were killed in District 2 during the fight in #Sirte. #Libya #Tripoli
1.52pm: An NTC soldier is telling Sky News: "Somebody shot him with a 9mm."
Another soldier says he was shot in the belly.
This happened at 12.30, the soldiers say - but it is unclear if they mean am or pm.
Former defence minister Abu Bakr Yunis was the only one with him, the soldier says.
The other soldier says he saw it with his own eyes and that he hit Gaddafi with a shoe - a sign of severe disrespect in the Middle East.
None of this can be confirmed yet, and I have to say they were not the most convincing witnesses.
1.47pm: Channel 4 News's Lindsey Hilsum tweets the reaction in Tripoli to that picture appearing to show Gaddafi's dead body:
Great cries of Allah Akbar as tv shows picture of what looks like dead #Gadaffi. People going crazy.
Hilsum also says that the NTC information minister Mahmoud Shamman is now also confirming Gaddafi's death.
1.43pm: The Misrata Military council is also saying that Gaddafi has been killed. We cannot confirm this. In an email it said it would give a press conference later to explain how he died after being captured.
1.40pm: The picture purportedly showing Muammar Gaddafi's capture we posted earlier seems to come from a video on a mobile phone. AFP has sent through another frame from the same video.
Apologies - it is a graphic image. We cannot confirm that it shows his capture.
1.37pm: Nick Hopkins, the Guardian's defence correspondent, sends this:
The convoy in which is is thought Gaddafi was travelling was hit by a Nato airstrike at 6am, British time.
Two Nato aircraft bombed the vehicles as they fled Sirte. Neither were British planes, though two Tornado ground attack aircraft were on surveillance and reconnaissance missions at the time.
There is still no confirmation from here that Gaddafi was in the convoy, but that is what is being reported in Libya.
1.33pm: Killed, captured or whereabouts unconfirmed? Here's a quick guide to who is saying what about Gaddafi at this stage:
Killed: NTC commander Abdel-Basit Haroun said Gaddafi was killed when an airstrike hit a convoy trying to flee Sirte. National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters. "There was a lot of firing against his group and he died.
NTC spokesman in Misrata Abdullah Berrassali told Sky News: "Gaddafi is dead, absolutely dead. He was shot in both legs and a bullet in the head. The body will be arriving in Misrata any minute now." Libyan TV and al-Jazeera are also reporting that Gaddafi is dead.
Captured: Misrata Military Council, one of the multiple command groups for the new government, says its fighters captured Gadhafi in Sirte.
Unconfirmed: A spokesman for Libya's transitional government, Jalal al-Gallal, and its military spokesman Abdul-Rahman Busin say the reports have not been confirmed. Nato and the US state department could not confirm any of the reports.
1.31pm: Nato is confirming its aircraft struck pro-Gaddafi military vehicles near Sirte today.
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, says she can't confirm his capture or dead but if it is true she would breathe a sigh of relief as one more obstacle was removed.
1.26pm: An NTC spokesman is telling Sky News that Gaddafi is dead and the body is arriving in Misrata "any minute now". We cannot confirm this.
1.24pm: It is claimed that this image, from a mobile phone, shows the arrest of Gaddafi.
Apologies - it is quite a grisly image.
1.20pm: Guma el-Gamaty, the former NTC coordinator in the UK, is telling Sky News Gaddafi and his close aides tried to escape and freedom fighters tried to capture them. There was an exchange of fire and reports claim he was killed or injured, Gamaty says. We cannot confirm this.
1.18pm: An NTC commander, Abdel-Basit Haroun, says Gaddafi was killed when an airstrike hit a convoy trying to flee, according to the Associated Press. We cannot confirm this.
1.12pm: NTC officials in Tripoli continue to refuse to confirm that Gaddafi has been captured.
Channel 4 News' Lindsey Hilsum tweets:
All major news agencies reporting #Gadaffi dead or captured but NTC officials here in #tripoli won't confirm.
1.11pm: The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, has said he hoped Gaddafi would soon face the international criminal court. Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, said the Libyan people should decide his fate.
Apparently Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the chairman of the NTC, is due to address the Libyan people shortly.
1.08pm: The US state department cannot confirm Gaddafi's capture, never mind his reported killing.
Reuters reports:
"We've seen the media reports but can't confirm them," state department spokeswoman Beth Gosselin told Reuters.
White House officials were not immediately available to comment. The Pentagon also said it could not confirm the reports.
A senior official with Libya's National Transitional Council told Reuters that Gaddafi was captured near his hometown of Sirte at dawn as he tried to flee in a convoy that came under attack from Nato warplanes.
Nato said it was checking reports of the capture of Gaddafi and said they could take some time to confirm.
1.08pm: Sky News is reporting live from Tripoli, where there is a cacophony of celebration behind its reporter, with car horns beeping non-stop.
1.02pm: Here's the Reuters tweet announcing Gaddafi's death, which we cannot confirm:
FLASH: Libya's Gaddafi dies of wounds suffered in capture near Sirte - senior NTC military official
1.01pm: My colleague Chris Stephen has seen a statement on the arrest of Gaddafi - which we still cannot confirm - from Misrata military council.
The statement said: "The tyrant Muammar Gaddafi Was arrested on by Misurata Thwarr [revolutionary fighters]." It added: "God is great and thank God."
Chris writes:
Hassan Elamin, a prominent Libyan exile who has lived for 28 years in the UK and is the editor of the online Libyan newspaper Libya Almostakbal said he had called Misrata today and that Gaddafi was reportedly being held in Misrata, Libya's third largest city. He said the city was in the middle of wild celebrations. "We're still taking in the news," he told the Guardian. "This is a big buzz."
Elamin said Gaddafi was arrested by Misratan units in Sirte late last night and reportedly transported to a secure location in the city and that in the same arrest Gaddafi's former defence minister Abu Bakr Yunis was shot dead.
What happens to Gaddafi now is unclear. Misrata military council is on record as stating that it recognises the authority of the ruling National Transitional Council but does not accept its commands. Earlier this year Misratan war crimes investigators told the Observer they had complied evidence against Gaddafi including documents purportedly showing his forces being ordered to commit war crimes during the siege of Misrata.
12.53pm: Al Jazeera is now reporting that Gaddafi was killed in Sirte. Reuters is saying that Gaddafi died of his wounds. We cannot confirm this.
12.50pm: Here's a summary of the latest developments:
• Muammar Gaddafi has been captured fleeing Sirte, according to unconfirmed reports by some National Transitional Council officials. The NTC's information minister, Mahmoud Shamman, refused to confirm the reports, but said "big fish" are on their way to Misrata. Gaddafi is reported to have been critically injured in both legs while being detained. "Don't shoot, don't shoot," he is reported to have said. We cannot confirm that he has been captured.
• A number of high ranking Gaddafi officials are also reported to have been caught including his spokesman Moussa Ibrahim and his cousin Ahmed Ibrahim. "We hope that we are catching some big names so we can put them in the court and let the people have the last word on their fate," Shamman said.
• Reports of the arrests came after the fall of Gaddafi's final stronghold of Sirte. The city was captured after a 90 minute offensive this morning. Fighters hoisted flags of the new interim government over the city and burned the green flag of the ousted Gaddafi regime. "Sirte has been liberated. There are no Gaddafi forces any more," said Colonel Yunus Al Abdali.
• Mahmoud Jibril, Libya's Interim Leader, has hinted that he may step down today. In an interview with Time magazine he also complained about political infighting in the new Libya.
12.45pm: According to Sky News, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, is calling the capture of Gaddafi good news.
Sky News is now saying its sources are confirming the capture.
We still cannot confirm this.
12.44pm: The Associated Press news agency says the chief spokesman for the National Transitional Council, Jalal el-Gallal, and the NTC's military spokesman, Abdul-Rahman Busin, say that reports of Gaddafi's capture are still unconfirmed.
12.37pm: Reuters is quoting a Libyan government fighter who says he witnessed the capture of Gaddafi. He said the ousted dictator was hiding in a hole shouting "Don't shoot, don't shoot".
Al-Jazeera is reporting that he is in a critical condition. But the picture remains confused.
12.32pm: The Libyan immigration minister, Ali Errishi, has just told al-Jazeera that he has spoken to fighters who have told him Gaddafi has been captured, along with his spokesman Moussa Ibrahim. But still we await independent confirmation. Errishi said Gaddafi is wounded, adding:
He is, as we speak, in the custody of the freedom fighters ....I'm very, very confident [in my sources] ...They would not have woken me up early in the morning all the way from Misrata, I am in [Washington] DC [if it was not true].
Al-Jazeera is reporting that Nato forces fired on the convoy, although that report is also unconfirmed.
12.22pm: Reuters is quoting NTC official Abdel Majid as saying Gaddafi has been wounded in both legs.
12.18pm: An NTC official has told al-Jazeera that Gaddafi has been captured and was wounded while being detained. There is still no independent verification available.
12.15pm: A Libyan TV station has reportedly just announced that Muammar Gaddafi has been captured. The report cannot be confirmed at this stage.
Mahmoud Shammam, the NTC's information minister. was just on al-Jazeera, and alluded to the capture of Gaddafi but refused to confirm it.
He said:
I think we can say that Sirte is liberated ...I think the celebrations are going on right now. Also there's big talk about some big fish on their way to Misrata. I cannot confirm anything but people over there are talking they caught a big fish.
Asked what would happen if Gaddafi had been captured, Shammam said:
We are going to put him in fornt of the court, we're not going to hang him in the street. We are going to give him the fair trial he never gave the Libyan people. We hope that we are catching some big names so we can put them in the court and let the people have the last word on their fate ...I think every Libyan wants to see Gaddafi stand trial.
12.07pm: Please treat the following with lots of caution, but the Misrata Military Council is reporting that Gaddafi himself has been arrested.
This is not confirmed. In an email the Information Centre for the Misrata Military Council said:
Now in contact with our correspondent at the front of the Sirte. The tyrant Muammar Gaddafi Was arrested. God is great and thank God
12.01pm: We may have spoken too soon about Nato's involvement in Sirte.
Al Jazeera's Evan Hill tweets:
NATO reportedly firing at a convoy of cars leaving Sirte. #Libya
11.44am: Libya's interim government forces appeared taken Sirte without direct help from Nato.
Nato jets hit no targets over Libya yesterday, and haven't hit anything in Sirte for more than a week.
The Guardian has a day by day guide to the bombing campaign.
11.35am: Tripoli residents have been warned not to start firing in celebration at the fall of Sirte, BBC producer Jonny Hallam reports.
People in #Tripoli have been told not to fire guns in celebration or will be arrested. #Libya #Sirte
Tripoli resident Ali Tweel Aries tweets:
I will not declair victory until we capture Gaddafi, now go fire your bullets in the air celebrating like an idiot. I'm keeping my bullets.
By the way, yesterday there was a wedding in Bab Ben Ghashier, nobody fired a single shot in the air. Only fireworks. it was a great moment.
11.22am: Reuters has more on the hoisting of the government flag in Sirte:
Libyan interim government fighters hoisted the new national flag above the centre of Sirte on Thursday after completing their capture of Muammar Gaddafi's home town, the last serious pocket of resistance by loyalists of the ousted leader.
A Reuters witness said celebratory gunfire broke out among National Transitional Council forces as the flag was raised above a large utilities building in the Mediterranean city, which had been under NTC siege for nearly two months.
11.15am: Al Jazeera has broadcast footage of government fighters hoisting flags of the interim government over Sirte.
The network is now confirming that Sirte has fallen. It also reports that one of Gaddafi's cousins, Ahmed Ibrahim, was arrested trying to flee Sirte in that convoy.
Ibrahim was responsible for education under the Gaddafi regime.
11.03am: Al-Jazeera is being cautious about reports that Sirte has fallen. It says government forces are "poised" to take the city, while it shows pictures of fighters celebrating victory and burning the green flag of the Gaddafi regime.
Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Tripoli, said: "Some high level members [of the NTC] ... are aware of the pictures [of Sirte] being broadcast.
"They are on their phones right now to Sirte trying to confirm this. If it is true that Sirte has fallen, or is about to fall, then it is very very important news.
"Because all along the NTC has said that once Sirte falls, the war will be over."
Al Jazeera also reports that around 100 cars have been seen fleeing Sirte and have been involved in clashes.
10.56am: Alaeddin Muntasser, a Malta based volunteer helping aid efforts to Libya, quips:
If the news about #Sirte is true, it has to be the monster dozer that did it :) Who can see that coming and stand his ground??
10.35am: There are reports that some Gaddafi loyalists are continuing to fight in Sirte.
Barry Malone a Reuters journalist tweets:
Hearing some Gaddafi supporters still taking potshots in Sirte #Libya
Blake Hounshell from Foreign Policy magazine:
There's still a Gaddafi convoy west of Sirte, AJA reports, and clashes ongoing. Any big names in it, I wonder?
BBC reporter Peter Biles:
#Libya. Live TV pictures show NTC victory celebrations in #Sirte, but is it really all over?
10.22am: Mahmoud Jibril, Libya's Interim Leader, has hinted that he may step down as soon as today.
In an interview with Time magazine's Vivienne Walt, Jibril described the frustrations of Libya's political power struggle.
He sadi: "We have moved into a political struggle with no boundaries. The political struggle requires finances, organisation, arms and ideologies. I am afraid I don't have any of this."
Walt writes:
Jibril, who heads the executive board of the rebels' National Transitional Council, did not say exactly when he would resign, but hinted that it could be as soon as Thursday, when a televised meeting of his group would detail what it had accomplished since Gaddafi's ouster, he said. In a grim assessment of Libya's current state, Jibril suggested that as the war dragged on, he had found governing the country was increasingly difficult.
10.16am: AP has more details on the fall of Sirte:
Libyan fighters have overrun the last positions of Gaddafi loyalists holding out in the city of Sirte and the revolutionaries now have all of the ousted leader's hometown within their hands.
Reporters on the scene say the final push to capture the remaining pro-Gadhafi positions began around 8am on Thursday and was over after about 90 minutes. Just before the assault, about five carloads of loyalists tried to flee the enclave down the coastal highway but were killed by revolutionaries.
Revolutionaries began searching homes and buildings looking for any Gaddafi fighters who may be hiding there.
Reuters has quotes from commanders:
"Sirte has been liberated. There are no Gaddafi forces any more," said Colonel Yunus Al Abdali, head of operations in the eastern half of the city. "We are now chasing his fighters who are trying to run away."
Another front line commander confirmed the capture of the Mediterranean coastal city, which was the last remaining significant bastion of pro-Gaddafi fighters almost three months after the ex-leader was overthrown by rebels.
10.05am: Government forces have captured the last remaining Gaddafi positions in Sirte, Reuters confirms, citing frontline commanders.
10.02am: Breaking: AP is reporting that Sirte has fallen.
Witnesses: Libyan fighters overrun last positions of Gadhafi loyalists in Sirte, city falls.
9.49am: Some residents are returning to Sirte to protect their homes from being looted by forces loyal to the new government, the BBC reports.
One returning resident, Mohammed Sayeh, said anti-government forces took a computer, a mobile phone and his passport. He said he came back to stop the house being burnt down.
8.45am: Welcome to Middle East Live. Here's a round up of the latest developments.
Syria
• The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 17 people were killed in Syria, including three teenage girls and a woman, while at least seven soldiers died in clashes with suspected army defectors, al-Jazeera reports. It said eight people were killed in Homs, central Syria, including four shot dead by Shabiha, an armed civilian group that supports Assad's government.
• Libya's interim government has become the first in the world to recognise Syria's opposition movement as a "legitimate authority" to rule Syria. Guma el-Gamaty, the UK-based co-ordinator for Libya's National Transitional Council, urged other countries to do the same. "We feel the Syrian people have been let down by the world, and they need moral and political support," he said.
• A former Syrian vice president who became one of the country's most prominent dissidents was kidnapped in Lebanon five months ago while visiting his daughter and is believed to be secretly imprisoned by the Syrian regime as it tries to crush a 7-month-old uprising, his daughter and Lebanese police said, according to AP. The abduction of Shibli al-Aisamy, an 88-year-old who holds permanent US residency, has raised alarm among some in Lebanon that members of the country's security forces are helping Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime in its crackdown on anti-government protesters, effectively extending it into Lebanon to prevent it from becoming a safe haven for the Syrian
Libya
• Libya's acting prime minister has said that Muammar Gaddafi is believed to be recruiting fighters from other African countries and preparing for a possible insurgency, hoping to destabilise Libya's new regime. Mahmoud Jibril said: "Reports have shown that 68 vehicles with at least eight fighters each crossed the Libyan borders to Mali and Gaddafi is hiding in the southern desert."
• Libyan interim government fighters have renewed their offensive on the besieged town of Sirte after being pushed back by Gaddafi loyalists holed up in the deposed leader's home town. Grad rockets, artillery and tank fire rained down on pro-Gaddafi positions in the centre of the town on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
• Anti-Gaddafi forces in Sirte have unveiled their latest home-made weapon. The BBC describes it as a cross between a bulldozer and a battleship.
Tunisia
• Tunisians speak of their hopes for the future as more than 100 political parties contest elections on Sunday. Angelique Chrisafis in Tunis provides a guide to the five key parties: An-Nahda (Renaissance); the Progressive Democratic party (PDP), Ettakatol, Congress for the Republic, Modernist Democratic Pole.
• Those contesting the election have been urged provide a clear commitment protect human rights after a survey of the parties found disagreements on the protection of minorities against hate speech, and the defamation of religions. Human Right Watch, which conducted the survey, called on the constituent assembly to guarantee equality and non-discrimination.
• For full coverage of the elections and build up to Sunday's poll visit out Tunisian Elections pages.
Israel and the Palestinian territories
• Intelligence officials are planning to wait for at least several days before beginning the delicate process of debriefing Gilad Shalit on his five years and four months in captivity in Gaza at the hands of Palestinian militants. The priority is to establish his physical and psychological health, according to military and government sources.
• Many of the newly released Palestinian prisoners spent their first full day of freedom being feted at home by streams of well-wishers bearing gifts and flowers. All the prisoners describe their detention as brutal with long periods of solitary confinement.
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