Photo credits: Ben Stansall/Getty Images, Aventureier/Getty Images
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s former leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, has reportedly been killed, according to multiple Libyan and international media sources.
He was said to have been shot on Tuesday, February 3, in Zintan, a western Libyan city where he had lived for nearly a decade following his release from detention. The news was first announced by the head of his political team and later echoed by Libyan outlets.
Conflicting accounts have emerged about the exact circumstances of his death. While some reports place the incident in Zintan, his sister told Libyan television that Saif al-Islam died near Libya’s border with Algeria, without giving details on how it happened.
Saif al-Islam, 53, was once seen as the political heir to his father, who ruled Libya for more than four decades before being overthrown and killed during the 2011 uprising. Although he never held an official government position, he remained one of the most influential and controversial figures in Libya’s modern history.
Following his capture in 2011 while attempting to flee the country, Saif al-Islam was held in Zintan for years before being released in 2017 under a general amnesty. In recent years, he had quietly attempted a return to Libya’s political scene, a move that stirred both support and strong opposition.
Reacting to the reports, Khaled al-Mishri, former head of Libya’s High State Council, called for an urgent and transparent investigation, stressing the need for clarity amid Libya’s fragile political climate.
As of now, Libyan authorities have not released an official statement detailing who was responsible or the motive behind the killing. Investigations are expected as the country grapples once again with the shock surrounding the Gaddafi name.
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