At the moment it is impossible to know exactly what happened to Colonel Gaddafi during his fatal last stand against forces of the National Transitional Council, Libya's new government in waiting.

What is sure is that this wasn't a PR coup for the new authorities. This is not a picture that says this is a government in control, a government in waiting, a government ready introduce a new era of peace and democracy in Libya.

The complexity of the tribal system in North Africa is known about by few in the west and understood by even less.

The western governments know nothing about the loose alliance of forces who united to overthrow Gaddafi and now there is likely to be a power vacuum, uncertainty and no doubt more violence. This will not be the last blood soaked image to come out of the desert.

How Colonel Gadaffi was eventually killed we will probably never know. Did he die in action or was he executed and if so by whom and on who's orders? It could be simply a dissident gunman out to revenge some wrong inflicted on his family by the Gadaffis.

Or it may have been more premeditated.

For there are many in the west, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown high among them, who will no doubt be very glad indeed to see his blood soaked body dragged through the streets rather than testifying in an international court of law.

For with him dies many secrets western governments will happily see die with him.  What exactly did Britain agree for him to give up his weapons of mass destruction for instance? Not to mention the ongoing mystery of what really happened to PAN AM 103.

Most Libyans will be rejoicing the death of a brutal and cruel dictator, in the west many in government and the security services will be breathing a sigh of relief for very different reasons.

Gaddafi's final hours