Libyan rebels have taken control of Col Muammar Gaddafis Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli, one of the final areas that remained under his control.
TV footage showed fighters breaking off the head of a statue of the Libyan leader and kicking it along the ground. They also seized items from his home.
It is not known if Col Gaddafi or any of his family are inside the compound.
Rebel leaders say they are in control of almost all of the capital, though there are still pockets of resistance. Fled like rats
Heavily armed fighters had streamed into the capital on Tuesday morning in dozens of pick-up trucks to take part in the attack on Bab al-Aziziya.
There are scenes of absolute chaos here - the streets are absolutely packed with people celebrating. I have just seen a man tying a huge gold picture of Col Gaddafi to his car to drag through the city. Automatic weapons and anti-aircraft guns are being fired. Much of it is celebratory, but I was told by one rebel that there was still some fighting.
This is a symbolic moment for many people because Col Gaddafi has always been removed from his people; he has been locked away in his compound. Now, people are inside his house and are tearing it up.
It is unclear if any members of the Gaddafi family are still here. I suspect they are not, because it is the one place they know the people of Tripoli would tear to shreds.
After five hours of intense fighting, they breached one of the main gates and then quickly overran the compound.
The rebels were shown destroying statues - including the iconic giant golden hand crushing a US fighter jet - firing guns in the air in celebration, and seizing weapons and ammunition from arms depots.
Col Gaddafis Bedouin tent, where he used to receive visiting foreign dignitaries, was set on fire, while his golf cart, in which he appeared frequently, was paraded around the compound.
There were no obvious signs of resistance in the compound by Tuesday evening, despite reports that hundreds of Gaddafi loyalists had been tasked with guarding it.
"We have won the battle," Abdul Hakim Belhaj, the top rebel commander in Tripoli, told al-Jazeera. "They fled like rats."
"We entered the tyrants offices, his rooms, we searched everywhere, but there was no-one."- BBC