Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in Libya, according to sources familiar with the incident.
The killing was reported on Tuesday, with indications that the 53-year-old was shot in the western Libyan city of Zintan, where he had lived for several years.
An Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent in Libya, Ahmed Khalifa, said Saif al-Islam was believed to have been attacked in Zintan, though details surrounding the incident remain unclear.
Confirmation of his death came from his political adviser, Abdullah Othman, who acknowledged the killing but did not provide further information.
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Libyan authorities had yet to issue an official statement as of the time of filing this report.
Saif al-Islam did not hold any formal government position but was widely regarded as his father’s closest aide and political heir between 2000 and 2011.
He rose to prominence during efforts to re-engage Libya with Western governments in the early 2000s and was seen as the public face of reform within the Gaddafi administration.
Educated in the West, Saif al-Islam obtained a doctorate from the London School of Economics in 2008, focusing on civil society and global governance.
During the 2011 uprising against his father’s rule, he made several public statements defending the Libyan government.
Speaking to Reuters at the time, he said, “We fight here in Libya, we die here in Libya.”
He also warned, “All of Libya will be destroyed. We will need 40 years to reach an agreement on how to run the country.”
Following the fall of Tripoli in 2011, Saif al-Islam was captured while attempting to flee the country and was detained by armed groups in Zintan.
He remained in captivity until 2017, when he was released under a general amnesty declared by local authorities.
Despite his release, he continued to live under tight security in Zintan, amid concerns over possible attacks.
Saif al-Islam was wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the 2011 conflict.
In 2015, a court in Tripoli sentenced him to death in absentia over his role during the uprising.
Libyan analyst Mustafa Fetouri said Saif al-Islam had been allowed limited contact with political figures from 2016 onward but largely remained out of public view.
Investigations into the circumstances of his killing are yet to be announced by Libyan officials.
