‘Defected’ Moussa Koussa not granted UK immunity from prosecution

Foreign Secretary William Hague said Koussa had resigned and the Gaddafi regime was "crumbling from within".

British officials are questioning Koussa, a former head of intelligence who was close to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The development comes as Libyan rebels continue to retreat from recently captured towns along the eastern coast.

They have come under heavy fire between Brega and Ajdabiya today. The rebels had earlier lost the key oil port of Ras Lanuf and the nearby town of Bin Jawad.

In the west, the rebel-held town of Misrata is still reportedly coming under attack from pro-Gaddafi troops.

Hague said Koussa had flown to the UK of his own free will late on Wednesday.

"His resignation shows that Gaddafi's regime, which has already seen significant defections to the opposition, is fragmented, under pressure and crumbling from within," the BBC reports.

"Gaddafi must be asking himself who will be the next to abandon him."

Hague urged others close to Col Gaddafi to "embrace the better future for Libya".

Since the uprising began in February, a number of senior Libyan officials have joined the opposition to Col Gaddafi, including the interior minister, the justice minister and the ambassadors to the US, the UN, France and India.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said yesterday "Moussa Koussa is one of the most senior figures in Gaddafi's government and his role was to represent the regime internationally - something that he is no longer willing to do."

Meanwhile, a Libyan spokesman denied that Koussa had defected and said he was on a diplomatic mission.