Seif al-Islam (53), the son of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has been assassinated. A member of his team confirmed that he died after being fired upon by armed assailants.
Speaking to the media, Seif’s advisor stated that four unidentified individuals broke into Gaddafi’s residence in Zintan. The attackers reportedly destroyed surveillance cameras before shooting him dead. There is currently no clarity regarding who was behind the assassination. It was revealed that just days before the incident, Seif had expressed concerns about his security to a close friend. Since the death of his father, Seif had remained active in Libyan politics. Although he announced his candidacy for the 2021 presidential elections, those elections were postponed indefinitely for various reasons.
Seif al-Islam was long groomed to succeed his father, Muammar Gaddafi. Unlike his brothers, he was often seen as the “Western-friendly” face of the regime before the 2011 revolution, having earned a PhD from the London School of Economics.
He was a deeply polarizing figure. For years, he was wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity committed during the 2011 uprising. He spent years in captivity in Zintan after being captured by militias.
His assassination occurs against the backdrop of a fractured nation. Libya remains split between rival administrations in the East and West, with various armed factions vying for control over the country’s vast oil wealth.
Despite his father’s legacy, Seif al-Islam had recently gained a following among those nostalgic for the stability of the previous era, making him a significant—and perhaps threatening—contender in the stalled peace process.
