Musa Kusa left his wife behind when he fled to Britain. Now read this.

Photo: AP

The Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk), last night:

LIBYA: WIFE OF DEFECTING FOREIGN MINISTER CAPTURED IN FIREFIGHT

By Damien McElroy, in Tripoli and Robert Winnett 10:52PM BST 01 Apr 2011

The wife of the Libyan foreign minister who defected to Britain earlier this week has been seized by Colonel Gaddafi and is being interrogated by his “internal security” officials, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

She is thought to have been captured amid eyewitness reports of a fierce gunfight at Col Gaddafi’s central Tripoli compound as the regime stepped in to stop further defections.

Yesterday, local residents recalled how the most fierce firefight yet seen in central Tripoli had erupted within hours of the regime confirming that the Foreign Minister had defected.

“The blocks in that area are the homes to high ranking official of the state who must live close to Col Gaddafi. People say that some of them were trying to flee with their families when they came under attack from the guards,” said a local resident.

“They gave as they got but there was a panic that the regime had to cover up.”

“In the morning they were still cleaning up the blood,” he said. “It was a big operation.”

Gunfire is not unusual after dark in Tripoli as residents use newly issued Kalashnikov AK-47 weapons to “celebrate” victory claims on state television. But witnesses said the prolonged battle around the Bab al-Azzizia neighbourhood was the worst fighting in the capital since the rebel uprising was crushed last month.

“It wasn’t just AK-47 celebratory firing off, it was heavy exchanges, a proper battle,” another onlooker said.

Potential defectors were yesterday under pressure to make public statements of loyalty to the regime and Gaddafi double the number of guards on leading figures and their families, according to one aide. Relatives said that suspect bureaucrats were being questioned by internal security.

Shurki Ghanem, a former prime minister who heads the state oil company and had been said to have defected after leaving for Tunisia with the Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, issued a statement in Tripoli saying that he was still in office.

Omar Durdah, the head of the overseas intelligence agency, told State television that he had not left the country.

“I am in Libya and will remain here steadfast in the same camp of the revolution despite everything,” Mr Dorda said. “I never thought to cross the borders or violate commitment to the people, the revolution and the leader.”

The family of Moussa Koussa, the Libyan Foreign Secretary, were previously thought to have also fled to Britain. His wife’s detention in Libya is likely to be part of an attempt to stop her husband from helping MI6.

The Libyan foreign minister is thought to have crucial information about the regime and is also suspected of being involved in terrorist plots across Europe including the Lockerbie bombing.

Last night, Koussa who is currently staying at safe house in southern England was said to be in a “fragile condition”.

It is not clear how British authorities will react if he attempts to leave the country.

He is thought to have left Libya after telling the regime he needed medical treatment in Tunisia and the disclosure his wife was left behind may point to a more complicated story being behind his defection than previously thought.

British intelligence agents are thought to be in discussions with about 12 people close to the regime who are considering defecting.

Even the dictator’s sons are now rumoured to be considering fleeing the country and Col Gaddafi yesterday imposed a “ring of steel” around key regime figures.

The turmoil at the top of regime emboldened Col Gaddafi’s opponents to resume attacks in the eastern suburbs of the capital.

Opposition activists said that Libyan forces were unable to enter the side streets of Tajoura, the Tripoli suburb that was at the forefront of the uprising last month.

An army post came under ambush from two sides according to opposition reports.

Police dramatically stepped up checkpoints around the capital on Thursday night.

Flak jacket wearing militia men inspected cars and questioned drivers after an alert for troublemakers was distributed to the security services.

Earlier this week, a key aide to Saif Gaddafi, the dictator’s son, was in Britain and is understood to have floated a scheme which would see Col Gaddafi leave the country with his sons playing a role in a transition government. British officials rejected any such plan.

This weekend is emerging as critical in the civil war in Libya – and diplomatic efforts to remove the regime. Yesterday, there were reports that the rebels had regrouped and were better organised to launch a fresh offensive against Libyan forces.

Qatar was also in negotiations with opposition leaders to begin selling oil from rebel-held areas, with the proceeds used to buy humanitarian supplies and possibly even weapons.

Yesterday, David Cameron’s spokesman insisted that “no deals” would be offered to any defectors. There was growing pressure on the Prime Minister to allow Scottish detectives investigating the Lockerbie bombing to have access to Koussa.

During a debate in the House of Lords, senior military figures also raised the prospect that British ground forces may be required to remove the dictator.

Lord Robertson, the former Defence Secretary and former Secretary-General of Nato, said: “Defections, there will be more of them, and more the better. The fighting will ebb and flow and assuredly we will be faced with new dilemmas in the next few weeks. Are we simply going to stand back even if boots on the ground could be decisive?”

Lord West, the former first Sea Lord and defence minister, added: “Air power is not decisive and it took the threat of invasion in Kosovo to change the games so we need to be very aware of that.”