Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been assassinated in Libya

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been assassinated in Libya

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, was recently assassinated. He was reportedly shot dead by four unidentified masked gunmen who stormed his home in Zintan, in western Libya, where he had lived for about ten years. The attackers had disabled security cameras beforehand, and his lawyer and political advisors confirmed the murder in statements. Saif al-Islam was once considered a potential successor to his father and had faced multiple trials, including a death sentence handed down in absentia in 2015 and an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes during the 2011 uprising. Libyan authorities have launched an investigation, but no group has yet claimed responsibility. Given the ongoing instability in Libya, the circumstances remain unclear. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of the slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, was a prominent political figure before the 2011 civil war and was often considered a potential successor and reformer. Saif al-Islam was born in 1972 to Muammar Gaddafi and his second wife, Safia. He studied architecture in Libya and later earned a doctorate from the London School of Economics. He acted as an unofficial advisor and mediator in international conflicts, for example, in peace talks between the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and in the negotiations for the release of the Lockerbie bomber. During the Libyan civil war, he threatened demonstrators with "rivers of blood" and was accused by the government. The International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted him for crimes against humanity in connection with the regime's actions. He was captured in November 2011 and sentenced to death in absentia in 2015, but was later pardoned. After 2011, he lived in seclusion in Zintan. In 2022, he proposed solutions to the Libyan crisis and attempted to run for president in 2021, but his bid was postponed. In 2023, he criticized rival factions in connection with events such as the floods in Derna. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/3/saif-al-islam-gaddafi-son-of-former-leader-killed-in-libya https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/muammar-gaddafi-s-son-saif-al-islam-killed-in-libya-s-zintan-city-lawyer/3819390