Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi killed in Zintan city by gunmen

TRIPOLI - Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, a son of Libya’s late longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi and once seen as his heir, has died, relatives said Tuesday, without providing details on the circumstances. 

His death was confirmed by an adviser on social media, while his cousin told Libyan media he had been killed in his home in Zintan by unidentified men.

His adviser, Abdallah Othman Abdurrahim, confirmed his death in a social media post, on Tuesday 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.

Abdullah Othman Abdurrahim told al-Ahrar TV channel that Seif al-Islam was killed in his house by a group of four unidentified men. "Four armed men stormed the residence of Seif al-Islam Kadhafi after disabling surveillance cameras, then executed him," Abdurrahim was reported as saying.

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

Hamid Kadhafi, his cousin, told al-Ahrar TV he had "fallen as a martyr".

Seif al-Islam, 53, had been seen as his father's successor. In 2021, he announced he would run for president, but those elections were indefinitely postponed.

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.

'A central point of contention'

Libya expert Emadeddin Badi said Seif al-Islam's death was "likely to cast him as a martyr for a significant segment of the population, while also shifting electoral dynamics by removing a major obstacle to presidential elections".

"His candidacy and potential success had been a central point of contention," Badi wrote on X.

Muammar Gaddafi's last spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, also posted on the social network: "They killed him treacherously. He wanted a united, sovereign Libya, safe for all its people."

"I spoke with him two days ago. He spoke of nothing but a peaceful Libya and the safety of its people."

Libya has struggled to recover from chaos that erupted after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 overthrew long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya remains divided between a UN-backed government based in Tripoli and an eastern administration backed by Haftar.