Six armoured vehicles, thought to be carrying Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his sons, have crossed the Libya-Algeria border, Egypt's official news agency MENA reported on Saturday.
Libyan military sources said the Mercedes bullet-proof cars left Libya for Algeria through the border, without any pursuit from the rebels. The vehicles may have also carried other important Libyan officials.
An Algerian border official said the reported crossing was unlikely as no such sighting had been reported by local residents.
Nato declined to confirm or deny the reported crossing.
The Sun earlier reported that Gaddafi may have fled on a golf buggy through a network of tunnels under his palatial building in Tripoli.
However, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the rebel National Transitional Council, said they have no concrete information on the location of Gaddafi or his sons.
Rebels take Ras Jdir border post
Rebels captured the Ras Jdir border post on the frontier with Tunisia, which it was feared Gaddafi might use to escape, as the hunt for the fugitive strongman continued on Saturday.
While fighting was still under way on various fronts, with the insurgents working to consolidate their hold on Tripoli, focus increasingly turned to a post-Gaddafi era, with calls for reconciliation and a peaceful transition. The rebels claimed late on Friday a new military success with the capture of Ras Jdir.
A Tunisian official said loyalists fled as more than 100 rebels arrived and raised their flag.
{{/usCountry}}A Tunisian official said loyalists fled as more than 100 rebels arrived and raised their flag.
{{/usCountry}}Algeria declined to recognise the NTC on Friday insisting it would adhere to the policy of "strict neutrality" adopted since the start of the conflict.
A foreign ministry statement sent to AFP was the first official comment from Algiers since the NTC took control of the capital in Libya, even as other countries in the region have been quick to endorse the rebels.