TRIPOLI: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s late longtime ruler, has died, relatives reported on Tuesday, without providing details on his death.
His adviser, Abdallah Othman Abdurrahim, confirmed his death in a social media post, without giving details.
“Saif al-Islam has fallen as a martyr,” his cousin, Hamid Gaddafi, told Libyan network al-Ahrar, adding that the family had no further details.
Media outlets said he had died in Zintan, in northwestern Libya, although his whereabouts had long been unknown.
Saif al-Islam, 53, had been seen as his father’s successor. While he held no official position in the north African country under his father’s rule, he had been described as Libya’s de facto prime minister, cultivating an image of moderation and reform prior to the 2011 Arab Spring revolt.
But that reputation soon collapsed when he promised “rivers of blood” in the face of the uprisings.
He was arrested in November 2011 in southern Libya following a warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He was sentenced to death in 2015 after a speedy trial but was granted amnesty. In 2021, he announced he would run for president, but those elections were indefinitely postponed.
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