TRIPOLI, Liby – Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the eldest son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in Libya, according to local media reports and officials.
His lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, and political adviser, Abdulla Othman, confirmed the development in social media posts.
Libyan news outlet Fawasel Media reported that Othman stated the 53-year-old was murdered by armed men in his home in the town of Zintan, located approximately 136 kilometers southwest of Tripoli, the capital.
Later, Gaddafi’s political team issued a statement describing the incident as a “cowardly and treacherous assassination.” The statement claimed that four masked assailants stormed Gaddafi’s residence and that he tried to resist. The attackers reportedly disabled security cameras in an attempt to hide their actions.
Former head of Libya’s High State Council, Khaled al-Mishri, has called for an “urgent and transparent investigation” into the killing, urging authorities to uncover the truth behind the attack.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, though never holding an official role in the Libyan government, was widely regarded as his father’s political heir during the late Muammar Gaddafi’s rule.
He held significant influence from 2000 until 2011 when the Libyan leader was killed by opposition forces, leading to the collapse of the regime.
Following the fall of Tripoli, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was captured while attempting to flee and was imprisoned in Zintan. He remained in captivity until 2017, when he was released as part of a general amnesty. Since then, he had lived in Zintan.
