Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya’s late longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in the western city of Zintan, according to reports emerging from the country. He was 53. Details surrounding the incident remain unclear, with no official statement yet from Libyan authorities.
Information reaching Okay News indicates that Saif al-Islam was shot in Zintan, where he had lived for several years following his release from detention in 2017. His political adviser, Abdullah Othman, confirmed his death, though the identity of the attackers and the motive behind the killing have not been disclosed.
Although he never held a formal government position, Saif al-Islam was widely seen as his father’s closest political heir and a central figure in Libyan power politics before the 2011 uprising. That revolt led to the collapse of the Gaddafi regime and the killing of Saif al-Islam’s father, Muammar Gaddafi by opposition forces.
Saif al-Islam was captured during the 2011 conflict and held by armed groups in Zintan before his eventual release. His death adds another layer of uncertainty to Libya’s fragile political landscape, as the country continues to struggle with instability more than a decade after the fall of the former regime.
