Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been shot dead by unidentified individuals. Media outlets, citing his lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi, have confirmed the news of his death.
Close political associates of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said in a statement that masked gunmen attacked his home, resulting in his killing.
The statement from his associates said:
“Four masked individuals stormed his house and assassinated him in a cowardly and treacherous manner. Gaddafi confronted the attackers, and they disabled the home’s security cameras in order to conceal evidence of their criminal acts.”
Meanwhile, Libya’s Attorney General’s Office has announced that it has launched an investigation into the killing.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was born in June 1972 in the city of Tripoli. He was the second son of Libya’s long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi. He completed his higher education in the West and was a skilled public speaker. He presented a reformist image on behalf of his father’s government. In the early 2000s, Saif al-Islam played an important role in efforts to restore Libya’s relations with the West.
Political analyst Aziz Muarij said:
“When Western powers eliminate a person, they also try to erase that person’s ideology, path, and school of thought from society. They removed Muammar Gaddafi and brought changes to Libya. Now, if his sons and family rise again and the nation stands behind them, it is unacceptable to them. The killing of Gaddafi’s son is also an intelligence game. He was a capable and strong political figure, and his death is a major loss for Libya.”
During Muammar Gaddafi’s rule, several of his other sons were killed in airstrikes and direct fighting. However, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was his most well-known son and lived longer than the others.
It is worth noting that Muammar Gaddafi’s other sons were killed during NATO airstrikes.
Military affairs analyst Asadullah Nadim said:
“After the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s government, Libya became unstable and fragmented. The country is insecure, its people are divided into groups, and it is being run in a factional manner. These groups mostly prioritize their own interests over national interests.”
Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed in 2011 following a popular uprising in his country with NATO support. Gaddafi was a prominent leader of Libya and frequently made harsh criticisms of the West, including the United States.
