In brief
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, heir apparent to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has reportedly been killed. The news has been announced by members of his political team and family, with his sister confirming his death near the border with Algeria. At the age of 53, his death marks a significant moment in post-Gaddafi Libya, where he was previously viewed as a powerful figure. Uncertainty surrounds the exact circumstances of his death, with various reports emerging in Libyan media.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya's former leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, has reportedly been killed. The death of the 53-year-old, who was once widely seen as his father's heir apparent, was reported by the head of his political team on Tuesday, according to the Libyan News Agency.His sister told Libyan TV that he had died near the country's border with Algeria, without confirming how. It remains unclear how he died, with competing reports circulating in Libyan media.Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was long seen as the most influential and feared figure in the country after his father, who ruled Libya from 1969 until being ousted and killed during an uprising in 2011. Born in 1972, he played a key role in Libya's rapprochement with the West from 2000 until the collapse of the Gaddafi regime.After his father's removal, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi - who was accused of playing a key role in the brutal repression of anti-government protests - was jailed by a rival militia in the city of Zintan for almost six years. The International Criminal Court sought to put him on trial for crimes against humanity for his involvement in the suppression of opposition protests in 2011.
