Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s former leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi, has reportedly been assassinated.
According to emerging reports, the 53-year-old was shot dead on Tuesday, February 3, in the western Libyan city of Zintan, where he had been based for the past decade. The news was confirmed by the head of his political team on Tuesday, as reported by the Libyan News Agency.
Further details surrounding his death remain unclear. Saif al-Islam’s sister told Libyan television that he died near Libya’s border with Algeria, but did not disclose the circumstances of his death.
Reacting to the development, Khaled al-Mishri, former head of the Tripoli-based High State Council—an internationally recognised government body—called for an “urgent and transparent investigation” into the killing in a social media post on Tuesday.
Although Saif al-Islam Gaddafi never held an official government position, he was widely regarded as the most influential and feared political figure in Libya after his father. For years, he was seen as Muammar Gaddafi’s heir apparent during the latter’s rule, which lasted from 1969 until his ousting and death during the 2011 uprising.
Following the fall of Tripoli in 2011, Saif al-Islam was captured while attempting to flee the country and was subsequently imprisoned in Zintan. He remained in detention until 2017, when he was released under a general pardon.
As of press time, Libyan authorities have not released an official statement confirming the assassination or providing further details.