Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the 53-year-old son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in Libya
According to reports, he was attacked by four masked men at his home in the town of Zintan, southwest of the capital, Tripoli.
He was the second son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his second wife Safia Farkash. He’s been the public’s most beloved of all Gaddafi Children.
Saif al-Islam, was captured and imprisoned in Zintan in 2011 after trying to flee the country to Niger following the opposition’s takeover of Tripoli during the uprising that toppled his father’s regime.
He was released in 2017 under a general pardon and had been living in Zintan since.
In 2021, Gaddafi announced his intention to run in Libya’s long-delayed presidential election, becoming a prominent figure in the country’s divided political landscape.
His candidacy reignited tensions, drawing strong opposition from anti-Gaddafi groups in both eastern and western Libya.
He was later disqualified because of a criminal conviction, and when he appealed, fighters blocked the court, delaying the case and further stalling the election and Libya’s political process.
