Muammar Gaddafi's firebrand daughter said in an audio recording today that her father is in high spirits and fighting alongside his supporters against the revolutionary forces who swept his regime from power.
In her first public remarks since the fall of Tripoli a month ago, Aisha Gaddafi accused the country's new leaders of being traitors, noting that some of them were members of Gaddafi's regime before defecting in the civil war.
"Those who have betrayed the pledge they offered (to Gaddafi), how come they won't betray you?" she said in a warning to Libyans.
The prerecorded four-minute message was broadcast on the Syrian-based Al-Rai TV, which has become Gaddafi's main mouthpiece.
I assure you, he (Gaddafi) is fine, a believer in God, in good spirits, is carrying his gun and is fighting side by side with the warriors- Aisha Gaddafi
The elder Gaddafi, his chief spokesman and his son and one-time heir apparent, Saif al-Islam, have also released statements through the channel since the takeover of Tripoli.
Aisha, her mother and two brothers fled to Algeria in late August as rebels swept into Libya's capital. Her father's whereabouts are unknown.
"I assure you, he is fine, a believer in God, in good spirits, is carrying his gun and is fighting side by side with the warriors," she said.
Echoing remarks her father has made to the same station, she called on the "lions" of Tripoli and other cities to rise up and fight the country's new rulers.
Aisha Gaddafi is a lawyer in her mid-30s who helped in the defence of Iraq's Saddam Hussein in the trial that led to his hanging.
For two years she served as a goodwill ambassador for the UN Development Programme, focusing on combating HIV/Aids and violence against women.
In February, the UN said it was ending its agreement with her after her father's crackdown on anti-government protesters at the start of what was to become Libya's civil war.
The Algerian Health Ministry reported that Aisha gave birth to a girl on August 30 as she was fleeing across the border.
She is reported to have three older children, including a daughter said to have died in a Nato airstrike in April that killed one of her brothers and two other Gaddafi grandchildren.
Libya's new leaders have struggled to consolidate their control over the entire country since their stunning entry into Tripoli at the end of August. Three major loyalist strongholds remain to be taken, including the city of Bani Walid, south east of Tripoli.
Revolutionary fighters are planning a new assault on the city, where forces loyal to Gaddafi have put up fierce resistance for two weeks, a commander said.