Syria, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Thousands Detained and the Possible Death of a Qaddafi

2200 GMT: $$$ - Switzerland is reporting that they have uncovered 360 million Swiss francs ($415.8 million) belonging to Colonel Gaddafi or members close to his inner circle. Also, according to Al Jazeera English, 

"Some 410 million Swiss francs traced to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and 60 million Swiss francs linked to former Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali have also been identified, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lars Knuchel said."

The funds will be frozen. In the case of Egypt and Tunisia, the governments of those countires have requested the funds. In Libya, those assets are likely to remain frozen until the Gaddafi government is removed from power.

1930 GMT: Al Jazeera has been missing a reporter, Dorothy Parvaz, stationed in Syria, since Friday. She disappeared after stepping off a Qatar Airlines flight in Damascus. There is no word from the Syrian government as to what has happened to her, or where she is currently located. 

1850 GMT: Claimed footage of a demonstration in Homs tonight:

1830 GMT: Claimed footage of a women's protest in Zabadani today, calling on Syrian authorities to release detainees.

1825 GMT: Bahrain's opposition party Al Wafaq has confirmed that former MPs Jawad Fairooz and Mattar Ibrahim Mattar have been arrested.

Last week, Mattar told Al Jazeera English of the arrests of family members of detained medical staff.

1636 GMT: Al Jazeera has released this picture from the funeral service of Gaddafi's youngest son, killed Saturday by NATO air strikes.

1552 GMT: Unless you are living under a rock (and not paying attention to EA's homepage) you all know that the background saga to all the other news today is the death of Osama bin Laden. The Christian Science Monitor is running an interesting piece, that Libyan rebels have heard the news and are asking a critical question: Why not Colonel Gaddafi?

 "We are very happy and we are waiting for the next step. We want the Americans to do the same to Qaddafi," said rebel military spokesman Col. Ahmed Bani.

This is another example of how the politics around Bin Laden's death may be more significant than his actual death.

1541 GMT: Anti-government demonstrations in Nabel Edleb, Syria, on Sunday. The now-familiar chant: "The people demand the fall of the regime."

1534 GMT: Turkey has closed its embassy in Tripoli, citing security concerns. The UN pulled its staff out of Tripoli on Sunday, after large protests against UN and NATO embassies and facilities in response to the killing of Gaddafi's youngest son. 

1524 GMT: Gaddafi has renewed his assault in Misurata. Shelling and rocket fire has continued, hitting the port and disrupting a resupply mission that is underway there. This is at least the second time in two days that a UN aid effort has been disrupted by shelling:

"The port is under heavy shelling today too, they have fired around 100 rockets so far. The shelling on Misrata has not stopped in the past 36 hours," a spokesman, who identified himself as Hassan al-Misrati, told Reuters by telephone.

"It seems that NATO have forgotten about us and this has emboldened the Gaddafi forces."

Despite this analysis, we note that 10 tanks have been destroyed in eastern Libya by NATO air raids (see note below)

1515 GMT: Turn yourselves in, or else! A Syrian military official has told the BBC that 500 people have been arrested in Daraa. This news comes as the interior ministry released a statement:

"Citizens who have participated in or committed unlawful acts such as bearing arms, attacking security or spreading lies to surrender by May 15 and hand their weapons in to the competent authorities."

It also called on Syrians to "supply information about saboteurs, terrorists and arms caches... they will be spared any subsequent legal consequences."

James Miller notes that there is little sign of any kind of armed insurrection, and he has not seen conclusive evidence suggesting that the people being targeted by Syrian security forces match this description. Likely, then, this declaration will be used as an excuse to hunt down the leaders of this popular movement.

1506 GMT: NATO is reporting that they destroyed 10-12 tanks near the rebel held town of Zintan in the East of Libya last night.

1500 GMT: Al Jazeera is reporting that a large crowd on Libyans, including the surviving sons of Colonel Gaddafi, have buried his youngest son, Saif al-Arab, who was killed on Saturday by a NATO airstrike. 

1452 GMT: James Miller here, trying to catch up after a long night for me and a busy morning for Scott Lucas.

The big news in Libya is a renewed assault on Misurata. Al Jazeera English is reporting that Gaddafi forces have hidden 4 or 5 tanks, perhaps more, in the airport in Al-Ghiran, a southwest suburb of Misrata, and they have begun an assault on the city. 

0605 GMT: Candle-lit demonstration in the Syrian coastal city of Baniyas last night:

0600 GMT: In Libya, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim has denied allegations that the death of Seif al-Arab Qaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, was faked.

The regime claims the younger Qaddafi was killed, with three of Muammar Qaddafi's grandsons, on Saturday night in a NATO airstrike.

Kaim also denied allegations that the building struck was, as NATO has claimed, part of a "command and control centre".

The Deputy Foreign Minister Kaim said the regime regretted attacks on foreign embassies, including the razing of the British resident, on Sunday. He claimed police were overpowered by a crowd angered by the strike on the Qaddafi compound.

Kaim added that in addition to attack on the British and Italian embassies, the US commercial and consular affairs site was also damaged.

0545 GMT: We begin this morning with the estimate from a leading Syrian human rights organisation, Insan, that 7000 people may have been arrested since the beginning of the uprising against the Assad reigme on 15 March

Wissam Tarif, the director of Insan, said the organisation has verified the names of 2130 arrested from close family members, and it had information on more than 5,000 names of people, suspected of being arrested, that still needing verification.

Insan said the death toll has now passed 600, with at least 364 deaths inside the town of Daraain southern Syria and a further 87 in surrounding villages, Insan said. The number of verified cases of forced disappearances, where relatives are not informed of the arrest and the prisoner is held incommunicado, in now 304

Since Saturday morning, alone, Insan claims it has verified the names of more than 350 people arrested throughout Syria. Insan said 14 foreign nationals, most of them journalists were among those detained.