Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Reportedly Shot Dead in Zintan (Full Transcript)

Adviser says a four-man hit team killed Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in Zintan; his allies call for an investigation amid renewed political ambitions.
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[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Saif Gaddafi, the son of deceased Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has been shot dead. His chief political adviser says a four-man hit team killed him in his house in Zintan in northwestern Libya. According to associates, he'd recently begun pushing for political reconciliation and harboured hopes of a return to relevance. In his heyday, he was one of the most powerful men in Libya, trusted by his father to rehabilitate the North African nation's international standing following Libya's infamous Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 that killed 270 people, mostly Americans. He brokered the end of his father's nuclear ambitions as European leaders rewarded the oil-rich nation with business contracts. In 2009, after several years of behind-the-scenes diplomacy, Saif helped secure the return of convicted Lockerbie bomber Libyan Abdul Basit al-Mughrahi from jail in Scotland. He worked to release reformed jihadists from jail in Libya and soften his father's brutal image. But when the country turned on his father in 2011, eventually deposing and executing him, Saif threatened the revolutionaries and his former Western allies. He then went on the run himself, fleeing for his life before being captured and taken prisoner inside Libya. By the time he was freed in 2017, the International Criminal Court had a warrant out for his arrest for crimes against humanity. He kept a low profile until his bid for a return to political life. Saif Qadhafi's team urged the Libyan judiciary, the international community, the United Nations and human rights organizations to launch an investigation into his death.

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Arow Summary
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, was reportedly shot dead in his home in Zintan by a four-man hit team, according to his chief political adviser. Once a key figure tasked with improving Libya’s international standing—helping end Libya’s nuclear ambitions, facilitating business ties with Europe, and playing a role in the return of the convicted Lockerbie bomber—Saif later threatened revolutionaries during the 2011 uprising, went into hiding, was captured, and later freed in 2017 despite an ICC warrant for crimes against humanity. After recently seeking political reconciliation and a return to politics, his team has called on Libyan authorities, the UN, and human rights groups to investigate his death.
Arow Title
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Reportedly Killed in Zintan
Arow Keywords
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Remove
Muammar Gaddafi Remove
Libya Remove
Zintan Remove
assassination Remove
hit team Remove
political reconciliation Remove
Lockerbie bombing Remove
Pan Am Flight 103 Remove
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi Remove
International Criminal Court Remove
crimes against humanity Remove
2011 revolution Remove
nuclear disarmament Remove
Arow Key Takeaways
  • Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was reportedly assassinated at his home in Zintan by a four-man team.
  • He was once central to Libya’s efforts to re-enter the international community, including on nuclear disarmament and Lockerbie-related diplomacy.
  • After the 2011 uprising, he became a fugitive, was captured, and later freed despite an ICC warrant for crimes against humanity.
  • He had recently pursued political reconciliation and a return to public life before his reported death.
  • His associates are urging Libyan and international bodies to investigate the killing.
Arow Sentiments
Neutral: The passage is primarily factual and reportorial, describing alleged events, historical context, and calls for an investigation, with somber cues due to the killing.
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