Saif al‑Islam Gaddafi, Son of Former Libyan Leader, Assassinated in Zinta, Libyan
By TUW
Saif al‑Islam Gaddafi, the prominent son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been shot dead at his home in Zintan, approximately 136 kilometers southwest of Tripoli, Libyan authorities and local media report.
The 53‑year‑old’s death was confirmed by his lawyer, Khaled al‑Zaidi, and political adviser Abdulla Othman, who described the killing as a “cowardly and treacherous assassination.” According to Gaddafi’s political team, four masked men stormed his residence, shut down security cameras, and shot him during a confrontation.
Khaled al-Mishri, former head of the Tripoli-based High State Council, called for an “urgent and transparent investigation” into the killing, underscoring concerns over Libya’s fragile political climate. Libyan prosecutors have opened an inquiry to determine the perpetrators and motives behind the assassination.
Born in June 1972, Saif al‑Islam was educated in the West, including at the London School of Economics, and was once considered the second-most powerful figure in Libya during his father’s rule. He played a key role in Libya’s early 2000s diplomacy, including negotiating compensation for the families affected by the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and advocating for disarmament of Libya’s weapons of mass destruction.
Despite presenting a reformist image, Saif al‑Islam took an active part in the violent crackdown on dissidents during the 2011 uprising that led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. Captured and imprisoned in Zintan while attempting to flee Libya, he was later released under a general pardon in 2017 and remained politically active, including a controversial presidential bid in 2021.
The assassination of Saif al‑Islam Gaddafi removes a symbolic figure in Libyan politics and could further destabilize the country, which remains divided among rival factions more than a decade after the fall of the Gaddafi regime.
