Zintan: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, was killed in the western Libyan city of Zintan, his lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi and adviser Abdullah Osman confirmed late Tuesday.

According to Anadolu Agency, Libyan media reported that the killing occurred at Saif al-Islam's residence and was executed by four unidentified individuals. Surveillance cameras at the site were disabled before the attack. The Libyan Attorney General's Office has initiated an investigation into the killing, but details remain unclear and Libyan authorities have yet to issue an official confirmation.

Moussa Ibrahim, a former spokesman for the Gaddafi regime, expressed his sentiments on Facebook, stating, "They killed him treacherously while he wanted a unified, sovereign Libya, safe for all its people...They assassinated hope and a future, and planted hatred and animosity." Ibrahim further suggested the assassination aimed to incite more bloodshed and division in Libya, serving foreign interests.

The Libyan News Agency cited the "444th Brigade" associated with the Defense Ministry of the Government of National Unity, which firmly denied any involvement in the clashes in Zintan and the news about Saif al-Islam's death circulating on social media.

Saif al-Islam was captured during the 2011 armed revolution that ended his father's regime. He resided in Zintan, 136 kilometers southwest of Tripoli, and his location remained undisclosed even after his release in 2017. Recently, his name re-emerged in Libya's political scene amid debates over his potential candidacy for presidential elections, which Libyans hope will resolve the country's ongoing crises.

Libya continues to be divided between two rival administrations: one led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh in Tripoli, controlling the west, and another led by Osama Hammad, appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022, based in Benghazi, governing the east and much of the south.