BBC Arabic reported that the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, announced on Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into the killing of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi, confirming that he was killed by gunshot.
The Attorney General’s office said in a statement that it had dispatched a team, accompanied by forensic doctors and experts, to the city of Zintan where they examined the body of Saif al-Islam, who had long been considered a likely heir to his father, who ruled the country for nearly 40 years.
He explained in the statement, which was posted on Facebook: “The examination proved that the victim suffered fatal injuries as a result of gunfire”.
He confirmed that “criminal proceedings have begun to try to identify the suspects and bring legal action against them”.
The incident was carried out by a commando unit
Marcel Ceccaldi, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s lawyer, had announced that Saif al-Islam was “killed by a four-member commando unit” at his home in the city of Zintan in western Libya, according to Agence France-Presse.
French lawyer Ceccaldi added, according to a BBC Arabic report, that “so far, we don’t know” the identity of these gunmen. However, he explained that he had learned about ten days earlier, from someone close to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, “that there were problems concerning his security”.
This comes after Abdullah Othman, advisor and head of the political team of Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, announced the death of Gaddafi’s son in a post on his official page, and Othman described Saif al-Islam as a “mujahid”.
Libya Al-Ahrar TV quoted Othman as saying that four gunmen “stormed Saif al-Gaddafi’s residence after disabling the surveillance cameras and liquidated him”.
Media outlets claiming to be close to Muammar Gaddafi’s family also mourned Saif al-Islam in numerous posts.
The Libyan News Agency broadcast the news, and the official announcement did not include any additional details about the circumstances of the death, or whether it was natural or the result of a criminal act. No explanatory statement has yet been issued to clarify the circumstances of the incident or its timing.
It was widely circulated by Libyan media outlets.
Brigade 444 denies involvement in the incident
The Libyan News Agency reported that Brigade 444 – Combat categorically denied what is being circulated on social media platforms regarding its involvement in the clashes that took place in the city of Zintan, and the accompanying news about the killing of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.
Brigade 444 – Combat confirmed in a statement published on its official page that it has no military force or field deployment within the city of Zintan or its geographical area, and that no instructions or orders have been issued to the brigade regarding the pursuit of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.
The general explained that “this matter is not within our military or security duties,” and that he is not concerned with what happened in Zintan, and has no direct or indirect connection to the clashes taking place there.
The 444th Brigade defines itself as belonging to the Libyan Army within the military region of the capital, Tripoli.
