Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi said in a brief statement on state television that he was still in the capital and refuted reports that he might have fled the country.
"I am in Tripoli," he said. "I am not in Venezuela."
Anti-government protests have spread across Libya in recent days, amid conflicting reports earlier Monday about the whereabouts of Gaddafi, who has ruled the country for 41 years.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague had said in Brussels that he had "some information" suggesting that Gaddafi was en route to Venezuela. A senior Venezuelan government official denied the reports.
There were reports of 150 dead in clashes Monday in Tripoli between supporters and opponents of Gaddafi, with additional violence in other cities, dpa reported.
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