Thousands of Libyans gathered on Friday in the western town of Bani Walid to pay tribute to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of longtime Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, after he was shot dead earlier this week at his home in the northwestern city of Zintan.
According to sources close to Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the 53-year-old was fatally shot by unidentified masked assailants on Tuesday at his residence, in what his supporters have described as a “cowardly and treacherous” assassination.
The funeral procession took place in Bani Walid, a town historically loyal to the Gaddafi family, about 175 kilometres (110 miles) south of Tripoli. Mourners were seen carrying his coffin alongside large portraits of both Saif al-Islam and his father.
Libya’s attorney general’s office said investigators and forensic experts examined the 53-year-old’s body, concluding he died from gunshot wounds, and that authorities were working to identify suspects.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, had previously shown interest in participating in Libya’s political process. He returned to public life after his release from detention in 2017 and at one point expressed his intention to run in the 2021 presidential elections, although he was ultimately disqualified due to existing legal restrictions.
Nearly 15 years after the elder Gaddafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising, thousands of loyalists turned up to mourn his son, who was once seen as the former leader’s heir apparent.
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