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Tripoli, Libya). Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, 53, son of former Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, was shot dead in the city of Zintan. Saif Gaddafi’s advisor Abdullah Othman Abdurrahim gave this information on Tuesday, but Saif’s relatives did not give any details about his death.

The news of the death of the son of Colonel Gaddafi, who ruled Libya for almost 42 years, is discussed in detail in the report of news channel France 24 broadcast from Paris. According to France 24, Hamid Gaddafi, hurt by the death of his cousin, told a Libyan news network channel, ‘Saif al-Islam has been martyred. The family does not have any other information other than this.

Saif’s advisor Abdurrahim confirmed his death in a social media post. He told Al-Ahrar TV channel that four unknown armed men entered Saif al-Islam’s house. After this the surveillance cameras were switched off. Then Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was shot dead. Al-Ahrar said its sources said he died in the city of Zintan in northwestern Libya. However, no one knew about his whereabouts for a long time.

Saif al-Islam was considered his father’s successor. In 2021, he had announced that he would contest the presidential elections. After this the elections were postponed indefinitely. However, he did not hold any official position in the North African country during his father’s rule. He built his liberal image before the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. But his image was shattered when he announced that he would shed ‘rivers of blood’ to crush the rebellion.

Saif was arrested in southern Libya in November 2011 following a warrant from the International Criminal Court. In 2015 he was sentenced to death. He was pardoned after nationwide protests. Libyan commentator Emadeddine Badi said that Saif al-Islam’s death would lead to him being viewed as a martyr by a large part of the population. Besides, the equations will also change in the presidential elections. Badi wrote on X, ‘His candidacy and possible success could be the reason for this murder.’

Libya is still divided between the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli and the eastern administration backed by Khalifa Haftar, who has led the Libyan National Army since 2017. After the fall of Gaddafi, Haftar has emerged as a powerful military dictator.