07/02/2026
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi) was killed on February 3, 2026, in the western Libyan city of Zintan (الزنتان), about 130–140 km southwest of Tripoli.
How he died (according to the main reported accounts):
- Four masked / unknown gunmen stormed his home / residence.
- They deliberately disabled the security cameras before or during the attack.
- There was a direct confrontation or shootout (his political team described it this way).
- He was shot multiple times (reports mention gunshot wounds; some local sources speak of 19–28 bullets from Kalashnikov-type weapons, including at least one to the head).
- He died from gunshot wounds (confirmed by Libya’s Attorney General / prosecutors after forensic examination of the body).
- The attackers then fled the scene.
- The attack happened in the early morning hours (around 2:30 a.m. local time according to some reports) or during the night/early morning.
Additional details from reports:
- Three other people were also killed during the incident (a guard / site guardian named Ajmeri Al-Atiri, a local militia figure Abou Bakr Al-Siddiq, and his son Mohammed).
- His political team and close aides described it as a "cowardly and treacherous assassination" carried out by a commando-style group.
- Libyan prosecutors opened an investigation immediately, but as of early February 2026, no group or individuals have officially claimed responsibility, and the perpetrators remain unidentified and at large.
- Some reports mention that his personal security detail / guards had left the location shortly before the attack (about 1.5 hours earlier according to one account), which raised questions about how the assailants managed to reach him.
Context
His death came at age 53, roughly 15 years after the 2011 revolution that overthrew and killed his father. Saif al-Islam had been living relatively quietly in Zintan for the past decade, with occasional political activity (he ran for president in 2021 but was barred). Many observers see the killing as politically motivated, but the exact motive and who ordered it remain unclear and heavily disputed.
His funeral drew thousands of mourners (especially in Bani Walid and other loyalist areas), and the event deepened political tensions in Libya.
If you want more details about the investigation, reactions, or speculation about who might be behind it, let me know.
