Libyan prosecutors are investigating the killing of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the 53-year-old son of the country’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was shot dead in his home in Zintan, northwest Libya.
The public prosecutor’s office said forensic experts have been dispatched to the scene to conduct investigations and identify the gunmen.
Saif al-Islam, once seen as his father’s heir apparent, was killed during a “direct confrontation” with four unknown gunmen who broke into his home.
His lawyer, Marcel Ceccaldi, told AFP that a “four-man commando” unit carried out the assassination, though it’s unclear who was behind the attack.
Saif al-Islam played a key role in Libya’s rapprochement with the West from 2000 until the collapse of the Gaddafi regime.
He was accused of playing a key role in the brutal repression of anti-government protests and was jailed by a rival militia in Zintan for almost six years. In 2015, he was given a death sentence in absentia for his role in the crackdown by a court in Tripoli.
The killing has raised questions about who might be responsible.
Some speculate that locals may have targeted him due to his popularity, while others suggest foreign actors might have been involved due to his controversial past.
