Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed in Zintan, according to government officials. Once the second most powerful figure in Libya, the younger Gaddafi reportedly died from gunshot wounds in the city, located 85 miles southwest of Tripoli.

Accounts of the death differ. His staff reported that four masked men broke into his home, disabled the security cameras, and killed him after a brief struggle. However, his sister told a Libyan television station that he died near the border with Algeria. The attorney general's office has sent forensic experts to the scene and is currently searching for suspects.

Gaddafi's public image shifted dramatically over the years. During his time as a student at the London School of Economics, many in the West viewed him as a potential reformer. That reputation vanished in 2011 when he supported his father's violent crackdown on protesters. These actions led to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court in 2011 and a later conviction by a Tripoli court in 2015.

His later years were marked by legal and political turmoil. After his capture in 2011, he spent six years in prison in Zintan before being released in 2017. He attempted to run for president in 2021, but officials disqualified his bid. Following the news of his death, Khaled al-Mishri, the former head of the High State Council in Tripoli, called for an immediate and transparent investigation.