Gaddafi son rallies regime forces
It underlined the potential for Gaddafi, who is still in hiding but believed to be in the country, to hit back even as his grip on power seemed to be slipping fast.
Rebels say they control the large majority of Tripoli, but they were still fighting pockets of fierce resistance from regime loyalists firing mortars and anti-aircraft guns.
The rebel leadership seemed stunned that Saif al-Islam was free. Spokesman Sadeq al-Kabir, had no explanation and could only say: "This could be all lies."
He could not confirm whether Saif al-Islam escaped rebel custody, but he did say that another captured Gaddafi son, Mohammed, had escaped the home arrest that rebels had placed him in a day earlier.
Originally the rebels had said Saif al-Islam was captured, but did not give details on where he was held. The Netherlands-based International Criminal Court - which indicted Saif al-Islam and his father - had confirmed his capture.
Saif al-Islam, with a full beard and wearing an olive-green T-shirt and camouflage trousers, turned up early at the Rixos hotel, where about 30 foreign journalists are staying in Tripoli under the close watch of regime minders.
Riding in a white limousine amid a convoy of armoured SUVs, he took reporters on a drive through parts of the city still under the regime's control, saying: "We are going to hit the hottest spots in Tripoli."
The tour covered mainly the area that was known to still be under the regime's control - the district around the Rixos hotel and nearby Bab al-Aziziya, Gaddafi's residential compound and military barracks.
