- Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed, although conflicting accounts have emerged about his death
- The killing comes years after he was released from detention in 2017, where he was trying to re-enter Libyan politics.
- Saif al-Islam, once regarded as his father’s political heir by a key figure in Libya, leaves a contested legacy
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed.
Source: UGC
The young Gaddafi died in circumstances that remain controversial, with his family and close aides giving differing accounts of where and how he died.
According to the BBC, the death of the 53-year-old man emerged on Tuesday, January 3, through multiple channels, marking the sudden end of his life.
He had remained deeply involved in the turbulent politics of Libya long after his father was overthrown and killed in 2011.
Although advisers and relatives agree that Saif al-Islam is dead, uncertainty still surrounds the exact location and motive for the killing.
How did Saif al-Islam die?
According to his political team, Saif al-Islam was shot dead in an apparent assassination as his lawyer told international media that a group of four armed men carried out an attack targeting his home in the western Libyan city of Zintan.
The Libyan News Agency reported that the head of his political team confirmed the killing without naming those involved.
However, conflicting information came from within Gaddafi’s family as his sister told Libyan television that he was killed near the Libyan-Algerian border.
His whereabouts have long been the subject of speculation, with few sightings since his release from custody in 2017.
More details were shared by his adviser, Abdallah Othman Abdurrahim, who said Saif al-Islam was killed in his home by four unknown men.
According to Abdurrahim, the attackers turned off the surveillance cameras before carrying out the murder.
“Four armed men stormed the residence of Seif al-Islam Gaddafi after turning off the surveillance cameras, then killed him,” he said as reported by France 24.
His cousin, Hamid Gaddafi, also confirmed the death in an interview with Libyan broadcaster al-Ahrar, saying the family had not yet received a full explanation of what happened.
Who is Saif al-Islam?
Saif al-Islam was widely seen as Gaddafi’s political successor during the final years of his father’s four-decade rule.
Born in 1972, he rose to prominence in the early 2000s as Libya tried to re-engage with Western governments after years of international isolation. Although he held no official position in government, he was influential, shaping policy and leading sensitive negotiations, including negotiations that resulted in Libya abandoning its nuclear weapons program.
These measures led to the removal of international sanctions and in a short time turned Libya into an international platform.
Saif al-Islam developed an image of moderation and reform, earning a Doctorate (PhD) from the London School of Economics in 2008.
Source: Getty Images
For a while, he was seen by his supporters as the acceptable face of a changing Libya, but that collapsed during the 2011 uprising when he publicly threatened dire consequences against protesters.
After the fall of Tripoli and the killing of his father, Saif al-Islam was arrested in southern Libya while trying to flee the country.
He was held by militias in Zintan for nearly six years, where the International Criminal Court requested his extradition to face charges of crimes against humanity, but Libya opposed the request.
In 2015, a Tripoli court sentenced him to death in absentia following a controversial trial, but he was later pardoned and released in 2017.
Despite his legal problems, Saif al-Islam reappeared in the political arena in 2021 when he announced plans to run for president.
The elections were postponed indefinitely, but his candidacy revived the debate about the future of Libya and the influence of his father.
What did Gaddafi promise the elderly from Kenya?
Elsewhere, Kenyan elders revealed details of multi-billion development projects that Muammar Gaddafi promised African countries before he was killed.
Other leaders in the Kenyan delegation were Peter Mumia, grandson of Nabongo Mumia and J. ole Muya, who represented the elders from Kajiado county.
The Koitalel Samoei Cultural Center in Nandi Hills was expected to receive KSh 400 million for renovation and expansion.
There were also plans to have an additional KSh 300 million to build a Luo cultural center in the county of Poisonous.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
