Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the 53-year-old son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has died under disputed circumstances, Libyan media reported Tuesday.
The head of his political team confirmed the death to the Libyan News Agency, saying it occurred earlier this week. His lawyer told AFP that a “four-man commando” unit carried out an assassination at Gaddafi’s home in the western city of Zintan, though no group has claimed responsibility. In a competing account, Gaddafi’s sister told Libyan television that he died near the country’s border with Algeria.
Long regarded as his father’s heir apparent, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was one of the most influential and feared figures in Libya before the 2011 uprising that ended four decades of Gaddafi rule. Born in 1972, he played a central role in Libya’s rapprochement with Western governments from 2000, including negotiations that led to the abandonment of its nuclear weapons programme and the lifting of international sanctions.
After his father was ousted and killed, Saif al-Islam was detained by a militia in Zintan for nearly six years. He was accused of helping to direct the violent suppression of anti-government protests in 2011.
The International Criminal Court sought his trial for crimes against humanity. A court in Tripoli sentenced him to death in absentia in 2015, but he was released by an eastern militia under an amnesty law two years later.
Libya remains divided between rival governments and armed groups. In 2021, Saif al-Islam announced a bid for the presidency in elections that were later postponed indefinitely.
Source: BBC