The Story Behind Mysterious Libyan Guitar Hero Photo

As you might remember, we posted this mysterious photo, left, earlier his week.

It shows a man in the middle of a gun fight in Libya playing a guitar while other men are firing guns around him.

It appeared with this caption: "Libya's new regime forces fire their weapons at fighters loyal to fugitive strongman Moammar Gadhafi as a comrade plays a guitar during a battle in Sirte on Oct. 10, in a drive to control Gadhafi's hometown after a month-long siege."

Now we have the full story -- or at least Channel4.com does.

It was shot (bad word choice?) by Aris Messinis, a photographer for the AFP agency in Athens. "In many ways the photograph captured the ad hoc revolutionary spirit that has been displayed throughout much of the conflict by the former 'rebels'," according to the Channel4.com story. "Men, with no formal military training, but with an enthusiasm to see Gaddafi defeated threw what little they had at the dictator's standing forces - with the military might of Nato flying overhead."

But why would he play a guitar in this situation?

"The NTC fighters were trying to advance to the centre of the city and it was a heavy street fight with lot of incoming and outgoing firing. (AK-47, machine guns, anti-aircraft machine guns, RPGs, sniper firing)," Messinis told Channel 4 News. "I realised by looking at him through my camera that he was trying to encourage the other fighters. It was impossible to hear his music becaue the distance between me and him was some 50 metres and the 'Boom! Boom!' was too loud."

For the rest of the story, check out Channel4.com.