Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed, according to family sources, his lawyer Khaled el-Zaydi, and Libyan media.
Libya’s attorney general’s office said on Wednesday that investigators and forensic doctors examined his body a day earlier and concluded that he died from gunshot wounds. The office said inquiries were underway to identify suspects and prepare a criminal case.
Once a central figure in Libya’s power structure, Saif al-Islam helped shape policy in the years before the 2011 uprising that ended his father’s rule. His public profile diminished after the conflict, though his name continued to loom over Libya’s fractured politics.
In 2015, a Libyan court sentenced him to death in absentia over the suppression of protests during the 2011 revolution. He has also faced a provisional case at the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, which his legal team sought unsuccessfully to dismiss.
In 2021, Saif al-Islam registered as a presidential candidate for elections that were later derailed by political deadlock, underscoring his lingering relevance despite years out of public view.
Authorities did not disclose the exact location or circumstances of the killing, saying investigations were continuing.
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