Were Saif Gaddafi's fingers chopped off by Libyan rebels?

A doctor, who examined Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's wounds, has fuelled speculations that his fingers were chopped off by the rebels.

Dr Andrey Murkhovsky refused to rule out the possibility that Saif's injured right hand was the result of a revenge attack.

Dr. Murkhovsky cast doubt on claims by the tyrant's son that it was caused by a NATO missile strike, the Daily Mail reports.

When Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was killed a month ago, there had been boasts among rebels that Saif was captured, near Sirte, and had his fingers cut off in a macabre punishment for his habit of arrogantly wagging his finger.

When Saif, 39, was finally apprehended in the southern desert three days ago, he was photographed with bandages on his right hand.

Dr Murkhovsky, who treated Saif in Zintan, said the top halves of his thumb and index finger on his right hand were missing and his injuries were 'a mess'.

"He told me that he was wounded by a missile during the Nato bombing. It could be from a bomb blast. But it was strange because I would think there would be other marks on his body, but there were not," the paper quoted Dr Murkhovsky, as saying.

Stopped on Saturday as he tried to flee to Niger, Saif was dressed in desert garb and pretended to be a camel herder.

The twist came as a tug-of-war erupted over the fate of Saif, with rival factions squabbling over where he would go on trial.

The one-time Libyan heir-apparent is now presently in custody in the town of Zintan.