Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, one of the sons of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed, Reuters reported, citing sources close to the family, his lawyer, and Libyan media. The circumstances of his death remain unclear.
Saudi television channel Al Hadath claims that the 53-year-old Saif al-Islam was killed near the city of Zintan in western Libya. According to the channel, he was shot dead in his own garden after four unidentified people entered the property.
In another version of events, which Al Hadath attributes to Libyan media, Saif Gaddafi was killed at his home during a clash between two armed groups. One of the groups was reportedly trying to detain him, triggering an exchange of gunfire.
Saif Gaddafi’s political adviser, Abdallah Othman, confirmed his death on Facebook without providing any details.
Saif al-Islam was Muammar Gaddafi’s second son; his father ruled Libya from 1979 to 2011. While he held no formal government post, the journalist Marianna Belenkaya notes that he played a prominent role in foreign-policy talks and in the country’s internal affairs until the regime’s collapse in 2011.
After his father was overthrown, Saif Gaddafi was detained. In 2017, it became known that he had been released. He later said he intended to return to politics and run in Libya’s presidential elections in 2018 and 2021, but neither vote ultimately took place.
In 2011, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Saif Gaddafi’s arrest. Two counts related to crimes against humanity. Libyan authorities did not hand him over to the court.