Hundreds of rebel fighters pushed toward the center of the Libyan capital Tripoli late on Sunday as their struggle to overthrow the rule of 42 years of Muammar Gaddafi came to end victory.
The rebels carried flags of opposition and the weapons fired in the air in jubilation after reaching the center of Tripoli Green Square, the symbolic heart of the city in the early hours of Monday morning.
Residents were delighted seen pouring into the streets to celebrate and greet the rebel fighters in their progress through the suburbs to the center.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said a son of Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, who has been charged with his father in the crimes against humanity, the charges had been arrested.
The head of the rebels of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abd al-Jalil, said its fighters had detained Saif al-Islam had been instructed to "treat him well."
They also reported that Gaddafi's eldest son, Mohammed, and the presidential guard had surrendered, but Bab al-Gaddafi Aziziya compound was still under the control of the regime.
Like thousands of pilgrims gathered in Tripoli and the rebel city of Misrata, Gaddafi staged a dramatic late-night call for help.
Speaking on state television by AudioLink for the second time on Sunday, the dictator seemed more measured than in previous speeches, full of emotion. He told the people of Libya: "They are not criminals, they come to destroy Tripoli come to steal our oil ..
"Now [Tripoli] is in ruins. They come, they are destroying it. Come out of your houses and fight against these traitors. Hurry, hurry, and tribes to go to Tripoli. Call the tribes to go to Tripoli. "
Libya, the information ministry spokesman Ibrahim Moussa also stressed that Gaddafi's forces would stand up and fight. He said: "We are very strong. We have thousands and thousands of fighters who have nowhere to go but to fight.
"NATO has intensified its attacks in and around Tripoli, giving direct and immediate support of the rebel forces to advance a peaceful capital of this great nation and the death toll is beyond imagination."
In an attempt to try to avoid a tough battle in the city center, Abd el-Jalil, said the rebel fighters to end its offensive if Gaddafi announced his departure, adding that Gaddafi and give their children a safe passage out of the country.
NATO said Sunday the situation was "very fluid". "We can see that the regime is crumbling, and the sooner you realize that Gaddafi can not win this war against its own people better," said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu. "It is he who is responsible for starting the conflict and should spare his people further bloodshed," he said.
Britain asked Gaddafi to resign to save his people from further suffering. Downing Street said it was clear that "the end is near" the Libyan leader.
"It is clear from the scenes we are witnessing in Tripoli that the end is near Gaddafi," said No. 10. "He has committed heinous crimes against the people of Libya, and had to go now to avoid more suffering for its own people."