Dhao fled with Gaddafi during the Battle of Tripoli. On 20 October 2011, Dhao was captured in Sirte, despite earlier reports that he was in Niger. He was injured after a NATO airstrike destroyed the convoy in which he and Gaddafi were traveling, and he was taken into custody by fighters from Misrata. Dhao was quoted at length in a "New York Times" piece published two days later in which he said he had been in Sirte since late August, he regretted his decision to remain loyal to Gaddafi, and his jailers were treating him well. Dhao also denied any role in the crackdown on the during the protests of the 2011 Libyan civil war.