The Media Line: Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, Son of Moammar Gadhafi, Reportedly Assassinated 

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, Son of Moammar Gadhafi, Reportedly Assassinated   

By The Media Line Staff  

Reports from Libya said Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, son of the late Libyan leader, was shot dead late Tuesday in the mountain city of Zintan, according to statements by his lawyer and close aides, though Libyan authorities had not issued formal confirmation as an investigation has begun.  

Attorney Khaled al-Zaidi and adviser Abdullah Osman said four unidentified attackers entered his residence after disabling surveillance cameras. The Attorney General’s Office opened a probe, local outlets reported, while details remained disputed. In a separate account, a family member told Libyan television he died near the Algerian border.  

Moussa Ibrahim, a former spokesman for the Gadhafi government, wrote on Facebook that “they killed him treacherously while he wanted a unified, sovereign Libya, safe for all its people,” adding that “they assassinated hope and a future, and planted hatred and animosity.” He said the killing aimed to fuel further bloodshed and deepen Libya’s divisions.  

The Libyan News Agency cited the Defense Ministry’s 444th Brigade as “categorically” denying any link to the clashes in Zintan and to the reported killing.  

Saif al-Islam, 53, had lived in and around Zintan since his capture during the 2011 uprising that toppled his father, Col. Moammar Gadhafi. Though released in 2017 under an amnesty by an eastern-based authority, his precise whereabouts were rarely public. In 2015, a Tripoli court sentenced him to death in absentia for his alleged role in suppressing protests. The International Criminal Court also sought his prosecution for crimes against humanity.  

Long viewed as a key figure in Libya’s outreach to Western governments in the 2000s, he helped negotiate the abandonment of Libya’s nuclear program and the easing of sanctions, despite holding no formal post. He later announced plans to run in presidential elections in 2021, which were postponed indefinitely.  

Libya remains divided between rival administrations in Tripoli and Benghazi, with armed groups controlling territory across the country.