Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been assassinated.
The 53-year-old was reportedly shot dead in the western Libyan city of Zintan, where he had been based for the past decade.
His death was confirmed on Tuesday by the head of his political team, according to the Libyan News Agency.
Saif al-Islam was widely regarded as the second most powerful figure in Libya before the fall of his father’s regime in 2011. Following Muammar Gaddafi’s death during the uprising that ended his 42-year rule, Saif al-Islam remained one of the country’s most influential and controversial figures.
Born in 1972, he played a prominent role in Libya’s rapprochement with Western nations from 2000 until the collapse of the Gaddafi government in 2011.
