Gaddafi hiding near Algeria

An official on Libya's governing council says he believes Moammar Gaddafi is hiding in the southwestern desert near the borders with Niger and Algeria, but denied allegations that the Tuareg minority ethnic group is protecting the fugitive leader.

Moussa al-Kouni, who is a Tuareg representative on the revolution's leadership body, claimed on Monday that Gaddafi had sent his son Khamis to the area to set up a radio station and make preparations for a possible escape route two months before Tripoli fell to revolutionary forces in late August.

Al-Kouni provided no evidence, saying he based his assertion on the fact that the Gaddafi regime had used the area before because it has rough terrain and porous borders that would make detection difficult. He also pointed out that Gaddafi had cultivated close ties with the Niger government and could even be going back and forth across the border.

"As far as I am aware, Gaddafi is in that region ... on the border with Niger," he told reporters in Tripoli, adding that Gaddafi could get safe passage through Niger to Mali, where he allegedly has a house in Timbuktu. Niger has put Gaddafi's son al-Saadi under house arrest.