The Libyan woman who told the world she was gang raped by Gaddafi's troops will face criminal charges.

A government spokesman said the men accused by Iman al-Obeidi are now suing her. A son of a high ranking Libyan official was among those she claimed had raped her, he said.

"The boys she accused are bringing a case against her because it's a very grave offense to accuse someone of a sexual crime," he said.

Ms Al-Obeidi she rushed distraught into Tripoli's Rixos Hotel on Saturday, seeking to speak to foreign media and claiming she was raped by 15 soldiers manning a Tripoli checkpoint.

As she started to tell her story, she was tackled by government minders and dragged away from the hotel, and has since been missing. Her parents claim she is held hostage at Gaddafi's compound in the Libyan capital.

Libyan authorities have alternately labelled her a drunk, a prostitute and a thief.

Her parents have said she is a lawyer now pursuing a post-graduate degree.

The mother said she received a phone call from an unidentified caller, purportedly from the Gaddafi camp, telling her Ms al-Obeidi is held at the Tripoli compound and asking her to instruct her daughter to change the rape claim in return for freedom and other benefits such as cash or a new house.