THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Secret police loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi have staged sweeps of the Libyan capital, arresting hundreds of opponents and protesters in advance of demonstrations planned for prayers on Friday.
There have been night-time arrests across the capital Tripoli during the week, according to exile groups. Many were identified through photographs of last Friday's protests in which an unknown number of people were shot dead.
Precise figures are impossible to confirm – friends of those arrested say it is not known where those who have been arrested have been taken. According to rumour, they have been taken to Bab al-Azizia, the regime's command-and-control centre in the south of Tripoli, which includes the Gaddafi compound bombed by US jets in 1986.
"Several of my friends have been arrested," said one young man in the city, who cannot be named for his own protection. "I do not know where they are. There will still be big protests tomorrow. Inshallah, God willing, Gaddafi will be gone." >>> Richard Spencer, Tripoli | Thursday, March 03, 2011
