Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most well-known son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in a shooting, according to Saudi-owned outlet Al Arabiya. He was 53.
The attack took place in Zintan, about 136 kilometres southwest of Tripoli. A source close to the Gaddafi family told the publication that four attackers shot Saif al-Islam in the garden of his home before escaping, NDTV reported.
Reports say the gunmen first disabled the security cameras at the residence. A confrontation followed, after which he was shot. The killing reportedly happened around 2:30 AM local time on Tuesday night.
Who was Saif al-Islam Gaddafi?
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was born in June 1972 in Tripoli. He was the second son of Libya’s long-time ruler, Muammar Gaddafi.
Western-educated and articulate, he was often seen as the softer, reformist face of his father's regime. In the early 2000s, he played a key role in improving Libya's ties with the West.
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He led negotiations for Libya to give up its weapons of mass destruction. He was also involved in talks to compensate families of victims of the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie in Scotland.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi studied at the London School of Economics and spoke fluent English. He projected himself as a reformer, calling for a constitution and greater respect for human rights. His academic work focused on the role of civil society in global governance reforms, Al Jazeera reported.
When protests erupted against his father's rule erupted in 2011, Saif al-Islam stood firmly with the regime. He became one of the key figures behind the violent crackdown on dissent, infamously referring to protesters as "rats," according to Al Jazeera.
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Full details still unknown
What exactly happened is still unclear. Full details around his death have not been made public. However, one of Saif al-Gaddafi's close associates called the incident an "assassination."
His death was confirmed by Abdullah Othman, a former member of his political team between 2020 and 2021 and one of his advisers. In a Facebook post, Othman wrote, "We belong to God, and to Him we return. The mujahid Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is in God's care," NDTV reported.
