Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the most prominent son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and a polarizing figure who once sought to lead his fractured nation, has been killed. The 53-year-old was assassinated on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, after armed assailants stormed his residence in the mountain city of Zintan, western Libya. The attack marks a violent end to the life of a man who was once the heir apparent to the Gaddafi regime and remained a central, albeit elusive, player in Libya’s decade-long struggle for stability.
Confirmation of the killing came late on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from his legal team and political aides. Khaled al-Zaidi, Gaddafi’s long-time lawyer, described the incident as a “cowardly and treacherous assassination” orchestrated to silence a voice that still commanded significant loyalty among certain tribes and former regime supporters. According to accounts provided by his adviser, Abdullah Othman Abdurrahim, four masked gunmen infiltrated Gaddafi’s heavily guarded home at approximately 2:30 PM. The attackers reportedly disabled surveillance cameras before engaging in a direct confrontation, ultimately shooting him dead in the garden of the compound.
The news has sent shockwaves through the North African nation, which is already grappling with deep political divisions. While the powerful 444 Combat Brigade has categorically denied any involvement in the operation, the office of the Libyan Attorney General announced on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, that an urgent investigation has been launched to identify the perpetrators. Forensic teams have been dispatched to Zintan to examine the scene, though the identity of the masterminds remains a subject of intense speculation and rising tension across the region.
Saif al-Islam’s death removes a major, if controversial, piece from Libya’s complex political chessboard. Educated at the London School of Economics, he was once viewed by the West as the reformist face of his father’s Jamahiriya system before the 2011 NATO-backed uprising turned him into a fugitive. Despite being wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity, he had re-emerged in recent years, even attempting to run for president in December 2021—a move that was blocked by legal challenges but highlighted his enduring influence. His assassination on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, raises immediate fears of retaliatory violence and further destabilization in a country that has known little peace since the fall of his father.
