Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Muammar Gaddafi, killed in Libya

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in the western Libyan city of Zintan, according to his political team and associates.

Abdullah Othman, his political adviser, and lawyer Khaled el-Zaydi confirmed the 53-year-old’s death, stating he was assassinated by four masked attackers who entered his residence. Saif al-Islam had lived in Zintan since 2011 following Libya’s civil war and was widely viewed as a potential political figure amid Libya’s ongoing power divisions.

He faced longstanding allegations linked to the 2011 uprising, including torture and violence. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant in 2011, and a Tripoli court sentenced him to death in absentia in 2015, though he was released under a disputed 2017 amnesty.

Libya remains politically divided between rival power centres in the west and east. In the west, the Government of National Unity (GNU) based in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, is recognised by the United Nations. In the east, the House of Representatives in Tobruk backs a parallel administration aligned with military commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA).

Disputes over constitutional arrangements, control of oil revenues, and delayed national elections have entrenched the east–west split, while armed groups and competing foreign interests continue to influence Libya’s fragile political and security landscape.

ℹ️ Al Jazeera