Saif al-Islam Gaddafi killed by gunfire, Libyan authorities confirm

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent son of Libya’s late leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed after sustaining gunshot wounds, Libyan officials and sources close to his family said this week.

Libya’s attorney general’s office said on Wednesday that investigators and forensic doctors examined his body on Tuesday and concluded that he died as a result of multiple gunshot injuries. A criminal investigation has been launched to identify those responsible and to pursue legal action, the statement added.

Confirmation of his death came from family-linked sources, his lawyer Khaled el-Zaidi and Libyan media outlets. No details have yet been released about the circumstances of the shooting or the possible motive.

Once widely regarded as the political heir to his father, Saif al-Islam played a key role in shaping policy during the later years of Muammar Gaddafi’s rule. However, his public presence diminished sharply following the 2011 uprising that toppled the regime and plunged Libya into years of instability.

In 2015, a Libyan court sentenced him to death in absentia for his alleged role in the violent suppression of protests during the revolution. He has also faced charges at the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity, a case that remains unresolved after his lawyers failed to have it dismissed.

Despite his legal troubles, Saif al-Islam attempted a political comeback in 2021, registering as a candidate in Libya’s planned presidential election. The vote was later abandoned amid deep political divisions and an ongoing power struggle between rival administrations.

His killing adds another layer of uncertainty to Libya’s fragile political landscape, as authorities continue to investigate one of the country’s most high-profile deaths in recent years.

With agency inputs