Four masked gunmen, disabled security cameras: How Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al‑Islam was assassinated in Libya

Saif al‑Islam Gaddafi, the second‑eldest son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in Libya, Libyan officials and family sources confirmed on Tuesday. He was 53.

Libyan media, his lawyer Khaled el‑Zaydi, and political representatives confirmed that Saif al‑Islam was assassinated in his home in Zintan, a town in north‑western Libya.




According to a statement from his political team, four masked gunmen entered his residence, disabled security cameras, and shot him after a confrontation. Authorities in Libya have opened an investigation into the killing.

Also read: Who was Saif al-Islam Gaddafi? Son of late Libya dictator Moammar Gaddafi killed in his home

Saif al‑Islam was once considered the successor to his father’s regime, which ruled Libya for more than 40 years before being toppled in a Nato‑backed uprising in 2011. At that time, protests against Muammar Gaddafi’s rule evolved into civil war, leading to his capture and death. Saif al‑Islam played a leading role in the government before 2011, and was seen by some as a potential reformer, even as he supported harsh measures to suppress dissent during the uprising.

After the fall of his father’s regime, Saif al‑Islam was captured by anti‑Gaddafi fighters in late 2011 while attempting to flee toward Niger. He was held by a militia in Zintan for several years. In 2015, a Libyan court sentenced him to death in absentia in Tripoli on charges including violent repression during the uprising, although he remained in Zintan. The International Criminal Court (ICC) also issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, allegations tied to his actions during the 2011 conflict.

After his release from captivity under a 2017 amnesty, Saif al‑Islam re‑emerged in Libyan political life. In 2021 he announced his candidacy for the presidency, but the elections were postponed amid ongoing political divisions and his bid was disqualified by Libya’s election authorities.