LIBYA: REBELS THREATENED TO BURN GLAMOUR MODEL EX-GIRLFRIEND OF GADDAFI'S SON ALIVE

The glamour model ex-girlfriend of Colonel Gaddafi's playboy son has told of the terrifying moment she was captured by rebels who threatened to 'burn her alive'.
Talitha van Zon had been with Mutassim Gaddafi just over a week ago as he calmly drank Jack Daniels whisky and coke as he toasted a victory over the rebels. But the next day the rebels backed by Nato airstrikes launched a surprise attack on Tripoli and Mutassim joined fighters.
Talitha was ambushed as she tried to leave the country was forced to turn back and take refuge at a hotel. But the Dutch model was then paraded in front of rebel fighters who chanted 'petrol'. She feared they would 'burn her alive' and then made a desperate escape by leaping from the hotel's balcony.
'I was shocked when I met Mutassim. He had changed,' Talitha told the Sunday Telegraph this week from the hospital where she was being treated for her injuries.
'It was the first time I had seen him since just before the February uprising. He had a beard, he was sitting on a couch strewn with automatic weapons, and he was guarded by unsmiling 16-year-old boys with sub-machine guns.'

The image of Mutassim sitting beneath a portrait of his father and plotting the war against rebels was a far cry from the fun-loving playboy she had been in a relationship with in 2004. Their romance had only lasted three months, as Talitha claims that there were 'other women' in Mutassim's life, but the pair remained close friends.
The former Playboy centrefold was drawn into the world of luxury that the Gaddafi clan enjoyed and showered with gifts. She recalls how she was flown around the world. In Monaco Talitha said she was taken to the Grand Prix and a dinner party attended by Princess Caroline. While at Christmas she enjoyed holidays on the Caribbean island of Saint Barts after being flown their on a private Boeing.
According to Talitha, when Mutassim was in Paris or London he would book several floors of the most expensive hotels and fill them with friends and Italian hairdressers would be flown in from from around the world.
'I asked him once how much he spent, and he took a minute to add it up in his head. He said ''about $2 million''. I said ''you mean a year?'' He said ''no - a month''.'
The gifts that the Arab leader's son showered Talitha with included a collection of Louis Vuitton bags and an expensive watch. But throughout their relationship, Talitha said that she remained in a 'gilded cage' and had little idea about the lives of Libyans who seemed 'happy enough'.

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