Libyan doctors say Gadhafi died of shot to head

Libyan women walk past a graffiti reading: "The greatest Crazy of the World" in Tripoli, Libya, Friday Oct. 21, 2011. The death Thursday of Gadhafi, two months after he was driven from power and into hiding, decisively buries the nearly 42-year regime that had turned the oil-rich country into an international pariah and his own personal fiefdom. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Libyan women walk past a graffiti reading: "The greatest Crazy of the World" in Tripoli, Libya, Friday Oct. 21, 2011. The death Thursday of Gadhafi, two months after he was driven from power and into hiding, decisively buries the nearly 42-year regime that had turned the oil-rich country into an international pariah and his own personal fiefdom. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Libyan celebrate after the Muslim Friday prayer at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, Friday Oct. 21, 2011. The death Thursday of Gadhafi, two months after he was driven from power and into hiding, decisively buries the nearly 42-year regime that had turned the oil-rich country into an international pariah and his own personal fiefdom. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Libyans attend the Muslim Friday prayer at Martyrs Square in Tripoli, Libya, Friday Oct. 21, 2011. The death Thursday of Moammar Gadhafi, two months after he was driven from power and into hiding, decisively buries the nearly 42-year regime that had turned the oil-rich country into an international pariah and his own personal fiefdom. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Libyan kids holding an assault rifle celebrate in Souk El Juma district in Tripoli, Libya, Friday Oct. 20, 2011. The death Thursday of Gadhafi, two months after he was driven from power and into hiding, decisively buries the nearly 42-year regime that had turned the oil-rich country into an international pariah and his own personal fiefdom. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Libyans line up to view Moammar Gadhafi's body at a shopping centre in Misrata, Libya, Friday, Oct. 21, 2011. The burial of slain leader Moammar Gadhafi has been delayed until the circumstances of his death can be further examined and a decision is made about where to bury the body, Libyan officials said Friday, as the U.N. human rights office called for an investigation into his death. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) ? Libya's chief forensic pathologist says an autopsy has confirmed that Moammar Gadhafi was killed by a shot to the head.

Dr. Othman al-Zintani says doctors completed the examination on Sunday but he won't disclose more details until he delivers a report to the attorney general.

Bloody images of Gadhafi being taunted and beaten by his captors in his hometown of Sirte have raised questions about whether he was killed in crossfire as suggested by the government or deliberately executed.

International concern about the issue has clouded plans by the transitional government to declare liberation later Sunday after months of bloodshed amid a rebellion to oust the hated leader of nearly 42 years.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) ? With dictator Moammar Gadhafi dead, Libya's new rulers were to declare liberation Sunday, formally ending an eight-month-old civil war and ushering in a two-year transition to democracy fraught with uncertainty.

Indecision over what to do with Gadhafi's remains overshadowed what was to be a joyful day. The 69-year-old was captured alive Thursday, then taunted, beaten and killed in unclear circumstances in his hometown of Sirte. His body has been on public display in a commercial freezer in a shopping center in the port city of Misrata.

Libyans seemed relieved the country's ruler of 42 years was killed, with many saying his death cleared the way for a new beginning. "If he (Gadhafi) was taken to court, this would create more chaos, and would encourage his supporters," said Salah Zlitni, 31, who owns a pizza parlor in downtown Tripoli. "Now it's over."

Libya's interim leaders are to formally declare later Sunday that the country has been liberated. The ceremony is to take place in the eastern city of Benghazi, the revolution's birthplace.

The long-awaited declaration starts the clock on Libya's transition to democracy. The transitional leadership has said it would declare a new interim government within a month of liberation and elections for a constitutional assembly within eight months, to be followed by parliamentary and presidential elections within a year.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-10-23-ML-Libya/id-855e59dea84a4800aaf776e9a0e62529

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