Saif al‑Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has died under mysterious circumstances during armed clashes in Zintan, according to a report published by “Al Arabiya/Al Hadath.” Full details surrounding his death have not been confirmed, and the 444th Brigade denied any involvement in the incident. Saif al‑Islam had been tried in 2015 on charges related to incitement and murder and was sentenced to death in absentia before the ruling was overturned and a retrial was ordered.

The website quoted a source close to the Gaddafi family as saying that Saif al‑Islam died under unclear circumstances, without specifying whether he was assassinated in a planned operation or killed during the clashes that took place in Zintan.

Ahmed Othman, one of Gaddafi’s advisers, wrote on Facebook, “To God we belong, and to Him we return… Saif al‑Islam is in God’s care.”

Saif al‑Islam’s political team also officially mourned the son of the late Libyan leader.

Meanwhile, the 444th Brigade denied any involvement in the assassination, stating in a communiqué that it had no connection to the clashes that occurred in Zintan.

The statement added, “There is no military force or field deployment inside the city of Zintan or within its geographic area,” stressing that the brigade “has nothing to do with what happened in Zintan and has no direct or indirect link to the clashes there.”

Saif al‑Islam, born on June 5, 1972, was the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He played prominent roles in Libyan public affairs before 2011, serving as an influential figure within the regime despite holding no official government position. He led foreign negotiations and handled internal issues before the fall of the regime.

His death sentence issued in 2015 was later annulled, and the Libyan Supreme Court ordered a retrial after he had been sentenced in absentia on charges including incitement to civil war, genocide, abuse of power, ordering the killing of protesters, misappropriation of public funds, and bringing in mercenaries to suppress demonstrators during the events of February 17, 2011.

Saif al‑Islam had been imprisoned and was released in Zintan in June 2017 after being held by a militia since 2011.