Latest developments

Late yesterday Seif al-Islam, the son of Muammar Gaddafi, said that Libyan armed forces had launched air strikes on arms depots, state television reported quoting the official Jana news agency.

Earlier the airspace over the Libyan capital Tripoli was closed indefinitely yesterday, according to the Austrian Army, which sought to evacuate European nationals from Libya on a military plane.

“The airspace is closed until further notice,” Defence Ministry spokesman Michael Huber said.

Meanwhile, the influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi issued a fatwa yesterday that any Libyan soldier who can shoot dead embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi should do so “to rid Libya of him”.

“Whoever in the Libyan army is able to shoot a bullet at Mr Gaddafi should do so,” cleric Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born cleric who is usually based in Qatar, told Al-Jazeera television. He also called on Libyan ambassadors around the world to dissociate themselves from Colonel Gaddafi’s regime.

Cleric Qaradawi, 85, hosts a popular show on Al-Jazeera satellite channel and has close ties with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.

Libyan diplomats at several embassies around the world have announced they are breaking with Colonel Gaddafi.

Meanwhile Libyan state tele­vision said security forces were battling “dens of terrorists” in a sweep that has killed a number of people, without specifying where this was or who was being targeted.