Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif shot dead at home

Tripoli (Web Desk / Agencies): Saif al-Islam Qadhafi, the best-known son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, was killed at his home on Tuesday in what relatives described as a targeted attack.

Abdullah Othman Abdul Rahim, a family member, told a television channel that four armed men broke into Saif al-Islam’s residence after cutting off the security cameras and carried out the shooting.

Once a powerful figure in Libya, particularly during his father’s decades-long rule, Saif al-Islam had largely stepped out of the public eye in recent years.

In 2015, he was sentenced to death in absentia by a Libyan court for his involvement in suppressing peaceful protests during the 2011 revolution that ended his father’s regime.

He also faced provisional charges at the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity.
In 2021, he attempted to return to the political scene by registering for a December presidential election, which ultimately never took place due to a political deadlock.

Over the years, Saif al-Islam’s life had been marked by dramatic shifts—from being his father’s heir apparent to spending a decade in captivity in a remote town—before attempting a political comeback that disrupted Libya’s election process.

Although he never held an official government position, Saif al-Islam was once seen as the most influential figure after his father.

He played a leading role in persuading Libya to give up its weapons of mass destruction and helped negotiate compensation for the families of victims killed in the 1988 Pan Am bombing over Scotland.