On 20 October Khamis Qadhafi, the youngest son of the former Libyan leader was reported to have been captured during ongoing operations in Bani Walid. According to multiple reports Khamis later died while being taken to Misrata. News of his arrest and subsequent death was announced on Libyan media channels on the evening of 20 October and later confirmed by a spokesman from the General National Congress (GNC). According to reports, Khamis was wounded during an exchange of fire with army forces in Bani Walid. He was then captured by Misratan forces and died en route to Misrata.
Khamis’s death occurred a year to the day after that of his father, who was captured and subsequently killed in Sirte on 20 October 2011. As was the case with his father, the fact that Khamis was first captured and then died in custody will likely see renewed allegations about the treatment of captured high-profile former regime figures. Following the announcement, spontaneous celebrations were reported in Tripoli, involving large crowds and celebratory gunfire.
Confusion remains about contradictory reports that Moussa Ibrahim, Qadhafi's ex-spokesman, had been captured. The prime minister's office had reported that government forces had arrested Ibrahim south of Tripoli on 20 October. Nasseral-Manaa, the prime minister's spokesman, later stated there was no proof that Ibrahim had been arrested. A recording purportedly by Ibrahim later appeared on the Internet denying that he had been captured and on 21 October, the Deputy Prime Minister, Mustafa Abu Shagur stated that the announcement about Ibrahim's arrest had been made without official confirmation.
Reuter’s new agency reported that around 500 protesters broke into the grounds of Libya's parliament building on 21 October, demanding an end to ongoing operations in Bani Walid. A separate report from the Libya Herald reported that guards protecting the National Congress used automatic weapons, fired into the air, to break-up the demonstrators who had stormed the grounds of the legislative assembly. While this is not the first time that protesters, predominantly members of the Warfallah tribe, have protested outside the congress over the issue of Bani Walid, this latest demonstration was reported to have been the largest to date.