Journalists Freed from Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, Four Others Captured Elsewhere in Libya

Kat Stoeffel — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:35:32 -0400

The 30 or so journalists held captive by Qaddafi loyalists have been released, according to CNN journalist Matthew Chance and news reports.

Mr. Chance's reports suggest the defeated and apologetic gunman are symbolic of larger dissolution of Qaddafi's regime.

"In the end - felt sorry for guards. All they knew was Gadhafi's regime. Took them a while to realise it had crumbled. Remarkable transition," he wrote. "Handed us their guns & said "sorry."

Outside the hotel, NATO airstrikes continue amid celebratory gunfire.

Other Qaddafi loyalists remain, however, outside Tripoli, where four Italian journalists have been abducted and had their driver killed. They've been in touch with with the Italian consular office, reports the New York Times.

Observer » Journalists Freed from Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, Four Others Captured Elsewhere in Libya

Journalists Freed from Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, Four Others Captured Elsewhere in Libya