Mediaite Staff: July 17th, 2012

A (very graphic) video purporting to feature the body of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was posted to YouTube yesterday. The footage, which the Daily Mail reports “came to light after a Syrian activist linked to it on Twitter, aiming a threat at Syria’s leader Bashar Al Assad,” appears to show a group of men using the deceased dictator’s body as a “ventriloquist’s doll” of sorts.

Reports the paper:

"The minute-long video, whose authenticity cannot be independently verified, seems to have been filmed on October 20 last year, the day Gaddafi was captured and killed by rebel troops. It shows a confused scene of celebration as young men shout and cheer next to a van containing an apparently dead body which resembles the dictator."

Several in the crowd can be seen recording the scene on their cell phone as one man manipulates the slain dictator’s head.

Again, it is important to stress that the footage has not been independently verified. Please also keep in mind that it is indeed graphic and will offend or disturb some viewers. Watch, below, at your own discretion.