Libya conflict: Gaddafi son's 'luxury' life revealed

Hannibal Gaddafi's compound contained several small cottages

As Libyan rebel fighters take control of compounds formerly housing Col Muammar Gaddafi and his family, the BBC's James Fletcher went to one of the residences and saw evidence of the luxurious lifestyle enjoyed by its erstwhile occupants.

We are actually in a compound that formerly belonged to Hannibal Gaddafi - one of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's sons.

When I say compound, you might imagine a large house. This is in fact almost like a small suburb.

It is full of little three-bedroom cottages which, I presume, were occupied by his friends. Down on the seafront is Hannibal's own luxury accommodation - in fact two, side-by-side, I presume one for him and one for his wife.

I say that because when you go into on of the houses, it's just full of luxury items. The rebels have been there and strewn them all around; the floor is two-feet deep with designer clothing.

Rebels' disgust

It gives you some idea of the luxury in which the Gaddafis lived.

The rebels who took us down there were not shy to express their disgust that this was where they felt their money had gone all these years - to sustaining this luxury lifestyle that Colonel Gaddafi and his sons and their families were able to lead.

We did see women's designer clothing but we didn't see much jewellery or watches, or anything like that, so I wouldn't be surprised if the nicer items were taken.

Everybody's going to take their souvenir from the Bab al-Aziziya compound and from Hannibal Gaddafi's residence here but more widely it seems, at least at this stage, broadly law and order is intact.