Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been shot dead in the country, according to officials and local media reports.
The death was confirmed on Tuesday by his lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, and his political adviser, Abdulla Othman, who announced the incident separately on social media. Neither provided detailed information on the circumstances surrounding his killing.
Local media outlet Fawasel Media reported that the 53-year-old was attacked at his residence in Zintan, a town located approximately 136 kilometres southwest of the capital, Tripoli.
According to the report, armed individuals stormed his home and fatally shot him, raising renewed concerns over security in the region.
In a subsequent statement, members of Gaddafi’s political team described the killing as a “deliberate and targeted assassination.”
They alleged that four masked men forced their way into his house, confronted him, and disabled security cameras in what they termed an attempt to conceal evidence of the attack. The statement further claimed that Saif al-Islam resisted before he was killed.
Reacting to the incident, former High State Council head Khaled al-Mishri called for an urgent and transparent investigation, urging authorities to establish the facts and bring those responsible to justice. His remarks were shared via social media as public pressure mounted for accountability.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who was widely regarded as his father’s political heir before the 2011 uprising, never formally held public office.
He was captured in Zintan during the NATO-backed revolution that led to Muammar Gaddafi’s death later that year.
After spending years in detention, he was released in 2017 under a general amnesty and had continued living in Zintan until his death.
The killing adds to Libya’s long-running instability, with political divisions and insecurity continuing more than a decade after the fall of the Gaddafi regime. Authorities are yet to officially name suspects or disclose further details about the investigation.
Tags
News