London squatters seize Gadhafi mansion

LONDON, March 10 (UPI) -- A group of squatters raided the luxury London house of Moammar Gadhafi's son Wednesday, saying they want it "to go back into the hands of the Libyan people."

The mansion in the upscale Hampstead neighborhood is valued at 10 million pounds (almost $17 million), the Daily Mirror reported. Saif Gadhafi allegedly tried to sell it after the British and other governments blocked his family's assets.

The squatters, who identified themselves as an organization called Topple the Tyrants, mounted a banner on the roof reading "Out of Libya, Out of London."

Montgomery Jones, a spokesman for Topple the Tyrants, told The Guardian the group has members from all over the Middle East, although none, at the moment from Libya. He said other houses will be targeted if the group learns of property owned by other rulers.

"We don't trust the British government to seize these assets so we took matters into our own hands," a Topple the Tyrants statement said. "We want to make sure it goes back into the hands of the Libyan people."

Members of the group could be seen entering with supermarket bags, suggesting they plan a long stay, the newspaper said.