Four individuals wearing masks carried out the killing of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi at his home in the western Libyan city of Zitan.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s former long-reigning leader, was killed on Tuesday by armed individuals who attacked his residence in Zintan, located in western Libya, according to his French attorney, Marcel Ceccaldi.
“He was murdered today at 2pm … in Zintan, inside his house, by a group of four commandos,” Ceccaldi stated.
Saif al-Islam, aged 53, was viewed by some as the potential heir to his father, even though he faced an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over accusations of crimes against humanity.
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In 2021, he declared his intention to seek the presidency, although the elections were put on hold indefinitely.
His mentor, Abdullah Othman Abdurrahim, stated to Libya’s Al-Ahrar television network that four unknown individuals broke into the house before “turning off the security cameras, and then killed him.”
It was not clear who was responsible for the murder.
Ceccaldi mentioned that a close ally of Saif al-Islam informed him several days prior “that there were issues with his safety.”
“So much so that the leader of (Gaddafi’s) tribe contacted Seif and said, ‘I will send people to guarantee your safety.’ However, Saif declined,” he stated.
Although Saif al-Islam did not hold an official role in the North African nation during his father’s leadership, he was often referred to as Libya’s unofficial prime minister, presenting himself as a moderate and reformer before the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.
However, his reputation quickly fell apart when he pledged “rivers of blood” amid the riots.
Saif al-Islam was captured in November 2011 in southern Libya after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant.
A court in Tripoli subsequently sentenced him to death in 2015 following a rapid trial, but he received clemency.
His location had remained a mystery for a long time. Ceccaldi mentioned that he “frequently changed places.”
A Libya specialist, Emadeddin Badi, stated that Saif al-Islam’s death could potentially make him a martyr for a large portion of the population, while also altering the political landscape by eliminating a key barrier to the presidential elections.
“A key issue of debate was his candidacy and possible victory,” Badi wrote on X.
Muammar Gaddafi’s final spokesperson, Moussa Ibrahim, also shared on the social media platform: “They killed him in a deceitful manner. He aspired for a unified, independent Libya, secure for everyone.”
I had a conversation with him two days back. He kept talking about a peaceful Libya and the security of its citizens.
Libya has faced difficulties in rebuilding itself following the turmoil that began after a NATO-supported revolt in 2011 led to the removal of Muammar Gaddafi.
Libya is still split between a government supported by the United Nations, located in Tripoli, and an eastern authority backed by Khalifa Hifter.
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This piece was first published in the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top news outlet covering China and Asia.
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