Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent son of Libya’s late ruler Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in a targeted home attack in Zintan, Libyan officials and local media report.

According to Gaddafi’s political team and local reports, the 53-year-old was killed by masked armed men at his residence in Zintan, about 136 km southwest of Tripoli.

A statement described the killing as a “cowardly and treacherous assassination,” noting that the attackers disabled security cameras in an apparent attempt to hide evidence.

Reactions

Khaled al-Mishri, former head of Libya’s Tripoli-based High State Council, called for an “urgent and transparent investigation” into the killing via social media.

Gaddafi’s lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, and political adviser Abdulla Othman confirmed his death on Facebook but provided no further details.

Who was Saif al-Islam?

Born in June 1972 in Tripoli, Saif al-Islam was considered his father’s number two during Muammar Gaddafi’s decades-long rule.

Educated at the London School of Economics, he was fluent in English and presented a progressive image of the regime, negotiating Libya’s abandonment of weapons of mass destruction and compensation for victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing.

Despite this, when the 2011 uprising began, Saif aligned with his family, playing a key role in the brutal crackdown on dissidents. He warned at the time: “Rivers of blood will flow… we will fight to the last man, woman and bullet.”

Legal troubles

During the Libyan Civil War, Saif was captured in Zintan after attempting to flee disguised as a Bedouin. He faced death sentences in absentia and was wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.

Released in 2017, he lived underground in Zintan before announcing a controversial presidential candidacy in 2021. His bid was blocked due to his 2015 conviction, contributing to the collapse of Libya’s election process and ongoing political deadlock.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s assassination marks a new chapter in Libya’s turbulent history, highlighting the persistent instability in the country even a decade after his father’s fall.

His death may have significant ramifications for Libyan politics, potentially reshaping the balance of power among rival factions and reigniting debates about governance, accountability, and security in the region.