Seifal-Islam Gadhafi speaks to the media at a press conference in Libya. Photo: AP.
Saif al-Islam Kadhafi, the son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Kadhafi, was killed on Tuesday according to Libyan media.
Saif al-Islam Kadhafi, the son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Kadhafi, was killed early Tuesday in an armed attack at his residence in the western Libyan town of Zintan, according to family members, advisers, lawyers, and Libyan media reports.
Libyan media reported that the attackers disabled surveillance cameras at Saif al-Islam’s residence prior to the assault. Members of his political team said four gunmen stormed the property after cutting off security systems. It remains unclear who was responsible for the killing.
Multiple Sources Confirm Killing
“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.
Local media reported hearing from sources close to the Kadhafi family that four assailants carried out the attack, killing the 53-year-old at his private garden before fleeing the scene.
The killing reportedly occurred at around 2:30 a.m. local time. Libya’s state news agency LANA cited his adviser, Abdallah Othman, as also confirming the killing.
Othman later told Libya al-Ahrar that four gunmen had entered Saif al-Islam’s residence after disabling surveillance cameras and assassinated him.
His lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, confirmed the killing on Tuesday evening, stating that it took place at Saif al-Islam’s home in Zintan. French lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi, who also represented Saif al-Islam, told French media outlets that his client had been assassinated in Zintan.
Libyan media reported that the attackers were unidentified and fled immediately after the attack.
Investigation Launched
According to local media, the Libyan Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the killing. No official statement has yet been issued by Libyan authorities.
Meanwhile, the 444 Combat Brigade issued a categorical denial of any involvement in the incident.
Details surrounding the killing remain unclear, and no group has claimed responsibility.
Political Figure Marked by Controversy
Saif al-Islam had long been viewed as the most prominent political heir of his father, though he never held an official post. Before the 2011 war, he was often described as a reform-minded figure and a key intermediary between Libya and Western governments.
After his arrest in November 2011 in southern Libya, following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, he was sentenced to death in 2015 after a trial widely criticized by international rights groups. He was later released under a general amnesty.
In 2021, Saif al-Islam announced his intention to run in Libya’s presidential elections, a move that sharply divided public opinion. Libya’s electoral board ultimately rejected his presidential bid.
Legacy of the Kadhafi Family
Saif al-Islam’s killing comes more than a decade after the 2011 NATO-backed war that led to the violent overthrow and killing of his father after more than 40 years in power. The conflict dismantled Libya’s state institutions and plunged the country into prolonged instability, marked by rival governments, armed groups, and foreign interference.
Despite the collapse of the former political order, nostalgia for the pre-2011 period persisted among segments of the population, particularly in southern Libya and areas historically aligned with the Gaddafi leadership.
His killing ends the political ambitions of the most prominent surviving member of the Gaddafi family, whose brief re-emergence in political life had reignited deep divisions in Libya.
