the world, colonel moammar gadhafi, who's held power for 42 years. >> libya was one of those countries people never imagined it would see the revolution spread to. because gadhafi was so in control. but i'm a revolution junkie, and it succeeded in tunisia. it succeeded in egypt. i wanted it to succeed everywhere. >> for decades gadhafi was one of the world's most eccentric leaders, known for his flamboyant outfits and his all-female bodyguards. but he was also an open supporter of international terrorism, with links to the lockerbie bombers, the i.r.a., and other militant groups. >> he kept libya under very, very tight wraps. he would disappear people. there was no freedom of any kind. massacres in prison. so he was a horrendous, horrible, brutal dictator. >> anyone who spoke out against him at all would be arrested immediately, sometimes tortured, sometimes killed. >> tracy shelton is a 34-year-old freelance journalist from australia who heads to libya to cover the conflict.