Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the 53-year-old son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has reportedly been shot and killed in the western Libyan city of Zintan, where he had been based for more than a decade.
Reports indicate that Gaddafi was killed on Tuesday, February 3, though details surrounding the circumstances of his death remain unclear and conflicting. The head of his political team confirmed the development, according to the Libyan News Agency.
His sister also told Libyan television that Saif al-Islam died near Libya’s border with Algeria, but did not provide further information on how the death occurred.
Following the reports, Khaled al-Mishri, former head of the Tripoli-based High State Council, called for an urgent and transparent investigation into the killing, describing the incident as a serious development with potential national implications.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi never held an official government position, but for years was regarded as the most influential figure in Libya after his father and was widely seen as the former leader’s heir apparent. Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya from 1969 until his overthrow and death in 2011 during a popular uprising.
In the aftermath of the fall of the Gaddafi regime, Saif al-Islam was captured in 2011 in Zintan while attempting to flee the country following the opposition’s takeover of Tripoli. He remained in detention for several years before being released in 2017 under a general pardon.
In recent years, he remained a controversial and polarising figure in Libya’s fractured political landscape, with periodic reports of attempts to re-enter national politics amid the country’s prolonged instability.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement confirming the full circumstances of his death, as investigations are expected to continue.
