Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Libyan leader, has been killed, sources say

The most prominent son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, has been killed, sources close to the family, his lawyer Khaled el-Zaydi and Libyan media said on Tuesday.

Details surrounding the circumstances of his death were not immediately clear.

On the other hand, his adviser, Abdallah Othman Abdurrahim, also confirmed his death in a social media post, without giving details.

“Seif al-Islam has fallen as a martyr,” his cousin, Hamid Kadhafi, told Libyan network al-Ahrar, adding that the family had no further details.

Media outlets said he had died in Zintan, in northwestern Libya, although his whereabouts had long been unknown.

Seif al-Islam, 53, had been seen as his father’s successor.

While he held no official position in the north African country under his father’s rule, he had been described as Libya’s de facto prime minister, cultivating an image of moderation and reform prior to the 2011 Arab Spring revolt.

But that reputation soon collapsed when he promised “rivers of blood” in the face of the uprisings.

He was arrested in November 2011 in southern Libya following a warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

He was sentenced to death in 2015 after a speedy trial but was granted amnesty.

In 2021, he announced he would run for president, but those elections were indefinitely postponed.

While Saif al-Islam is well-known in the north African country, especially for his role in shaping policy before 2011, his public profile has receded in recent years.