Saif Gaddafi Killed in Zintan Attack

Libya was plunged into renewed uncertainty on Tuesday night after reports emerged that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, had been shot dead inside his home in the western mountain town of Zintan. Saif al-Islam, aged 53, was reportedly killed when four armed assailants stormed his residence and opened fire before fleeing the scene.

According to sources close to the Gaddafi family, cited by the Saudi-owned broadcaster Al Arabiya, the attackers struck during the evening at Saif al-Islam’s garden, having first disabled the property’s security cameras. The gunmen allegedly confronted him at close range and shot him multiple times. He succumbed to his injuries later that night. No group has so far claimed responsibility, and Libyan authorities have released no official statement detailing the circumstances of the killing or identifying suspects.

A close associate of Saif al-Islam described the incident as a “targeted assassination”, suggesting political motives could not be ruled out in a country still fractured by years of conflict. Confirmation of his death came from Abdullah Othman, one of his political advisers, who posted a message on Facebook expressing condolences and describing Saif al-Islam as a “mujahid” who had returned to God’s protection.

Zintan, located around 136 kilometres south-west of Tripoli, has long been a stronghold of armed groups and played a key role during and after the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. Ironically, it was in Zintan that Saif al-Islam spent several years in detention following his capture during the civil war.

Once widely regarded as his father’s heir apparent, Saif al-Islam occupied a unique position in Libyan politics. Despite holding no formal office, he wielded considerable influence during Muammar Gaddafi’s four decades in power. Educated at the London School of Economics and fluent in English, he cultivated close ties with Western governments and presented himself as a reform-minded moderniser. He played a central role in negotiations that led Libya to abandon its weapons of mass destruction programme and in talks to compensate the families of victims of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

His fortunes changed dramatically with the 2011 revolt. Choosing loyalty to his family over former allies, Saif al-Islam became one of the most vocal defenders of the regime, issuing fiery warnings to rebels and vowing to fight “to the end”. After the fall of Tripoli, he attempted to flee disguised as a Bedouin but was captured by a Zintan-based militia and held for six years.

Convicted in absentia in 2015 by a Tripoli court and sentenced to death for war crimes, he was later released under a general amnesty in 2017. In recent years, he had lived largely in seclusion, though his attempted return to politics—most notably his controversial bid to contest the stalled 2021 presidential election—kept him at the centre of Libya’s unresolved political struggles.

Key milestones in Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s life

Saif al-Islam’s reported death marks the apparent end of a controversial figure whose life mirrored Libya’s turbulent modern history—shifting from privilege and international acceptance to imprisonment, political exile and, ultimately, a violent demise.