Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and once the country’s heir apparent, has been reported killed at the age of 53. His death marks a violent end to the life of a man who came to embody the contradictions of modern Libya: a Western-educated reformist who once promised gradual change, a fugitive accused of crimes against humanity, and finally a divisive political figure attempting a return amid prolonged civil conflict.
Details surrounding Saif al-Islam’s death on Tuesday remain disputed. According to a statement issued by his political team and confirmed by his lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, he was assassinated in what was described as a “cowardly and treacherous” attack at his residence in the western mountain town of Zintan, around 136km southwest of Tripoli. His aides claimed that a four-man commando unit stormed the house, disabled security cameras and killed him during a brief clash.
A conflicting account emerged from his sister, who told Libyan television that Saif al-Islam died near Libya’s border with Algeria. Despite the discrepancies, his death was confirmed by his political adviser, Abdulla Othman, and by Libyan security officials. His cousin later described him as a “martyr”, while the former head of the Tripoli-based High State Council called for an urgent and independent investigation into the killing.
For latest news and analyses on Middle East, visit: Yello! Middle East
Born in Tripoli in 1972, Saif al-Islam was the most prominent and politically active of Muammar Gaddafi’s children, although he never held public office. Yet, for a decade starting from 2000, he was known to be the second most powerful person in Libya. During this period, he cultivated an image as a moderniser and reformer, presenting himself as the regime’s acceptable face to the outside world.
Educated at the London School of Economics, where he earned a PhD in 2008, Saif al-Islam spoke fluent English and publicly championed civil society, constitutional reform and human rights. He played a key role in Libya’s rapprochement with the West, leading negotiations that resulted in his father abandoning the country’s nuclear weapons programme. He was also central to resolving the Lockerbie bombing compensation dispute and to securing the release of Bulgarian medics accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV.
His diplomatic ambitions extended beyond Libya. He proposed “Isratine”, a secular one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and hosted peace talks for the Philippines, reinforcing his reputation as a global interlocutor rather than a revolutionary heir.
That carefully cultivated image collapsed with the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. As protests spread across Libya, Saif al-Islam emerged as one of his father’s fiercest defenders. In a now-infamous televised address, he warned that “rivers of blood” would flow if the uprising continued, vowed that the regime would fight to the “last bullet”, and referred to protesters as “rats”. The speech marked his definitive break with reformist rhetoric and aligned him fully with the regime’s violent response.
After Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in October 2011, Saif al-Islam attempted to flee to Niger disguised as a Bedouin tribesman. He was captured in the desert by the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Brigade, a militia from Zintan, and held in detention there for nearly six years.
Also read
During his captivity, he faced prosecution at home and abroad. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the suppression of the 2011 uprising. In Libya, a court in Tripoli sentenced him to death in absentia in 2015. However, the fragmentation of the Libyan state worked in his favour. The Zintan militia refused to hand him over to Tripoli authorities, and in 2017, he was released under an amnesty law passed by the eastern-based parliament in Tobruk.
Saif al-Islam remained in hiding in Zintan because of security concerns, but his political ambitions persisted. He told the New York Times in 2021 that he had plans to slowly test public opinion and rebuild his political career. A few months after the interview, he made public his plans to contest the presidential election, which alarmed and enraged anti-Gaddafi groups in the country. The election was ultimately abandoned. However, it revealed the enduring appeal of the Gaddafi name.
While some analysts argue that Saif’s death clears a major obstacle to future elections, others warn that it may turn him into a martyr for loyalists of the former regime, further complicating efforts to stabilise a country still haunted by the legacy of his father’s rule.