BENGHAZI, Libya, May 1, 2011 (AFP) - The Libyan rebel capital Benghazi was rocked by sustained gunfire and explosions overnight as fighters celebrated reports that Seif al-Arab, a son of Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi, died.
But by early Sunday doubts about the truth of the report crept in, quelling the joyful mood, as it was suspected that news of Seif al-Arab's death in a NATO air strike was simply more propaganda from the Tripoli regime.
"I don't believe it because it was told by the Libyan TV," said Waleed Mohammed, 34, a policeman patrolman.
He added that if the news were true it would "not make the war finish early because Kadhafi is a crazy man," and "even if all his family were dead, he won't give up. Not until he dies."
A regime spokesman on Sunday said that a NATO raid killed Kadhafi's youngest son and three grandchildren, but that the Libyan strongman had escaped unhurt.
The house of Seif al-Arab Kadhafi, 29, "was attacked tonight with full power," government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters, announcing the deaths from Saturday night raids.
The Libyan leader and his wife were in the building but were not harmed, Ibrahim said, calling the strike "a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country."
But scepticism quickly replaced jubilation in the eastern rebel bastion, where a parallel government is gearing up to take the reins should Kadhafi be ousted or killed.
"I don't believe it because it is all on the Libya channels and that is all lies," said Mohammed Dahash, 25, who works in a mobile phone shop.
"I don't think it is true because since February 17 everything Kadhafi has said has been lies," said salesman Ahmed Sidan, 20, evoking the start date of the anti-regime demonstrations that escalated into violent conflict.
"He did it before: in 1986 he said his daughter was killed but she is still alive," Sidan said of Kadhafi's claim that his adopted child, Hanna, was killed in an air raid ordered by then-US president Ronald Reagan.
"Kadhafi always lies," said Alsharifa Warfali, 48, a mother of seven.
"But if Seif is dead, so what? We've lost hundreds of sons in Benghazi. Kadhafi's son is not extra special," she added.
Lack of material evidence to support the report, which was aired on state-controlled channels, coupled with the absence of a confirmation from NATO, also fed mistrust among opposition media professionals.
"Kadhafi has said Seif is dead... so where is the body? Show us the body," said Alaa al-Obeidi, a producer for the Qatar-based opposition channel Libya al-Ahrar.
"Personally, I don't think he is dead. He will get new IDs and passports to leave the country and go live in Africa, probably Uganda, which has good ties with Kadhafi," he added.
"Kadhafi is trying to milk NATO air strikes on military facilities to say they are trying to assassinate him," said Jalal al-Gallal, who serves on the media committee of the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council.
"But the truth is, the news cannot verified. There is no evidence, it is all hearsay," he added.
"If it is true, I hope Kadhafi will see the light and leave Libya to put an end to this bloodshed," Gallal said.
