Saif al-Islam Gaddafi

Who is Saif al-Islam Gaddafi?

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is a former Libyan political figure. He is the second son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his second wife Safia Farkash. Gaddafi was awarded a PhD from London School of Economics.

He was a part of his father's inner circle, performing public relations and diplomatic roles on behalf of his father. He publicly turned down his father's offer of the country's second highest post and held no official government position. According to American State Department officials in Tripoli, during his father's reign, he was the second most-widely recognized person in Libya and was at times the "de facto" Prime Minister, and was mentioned as a possible successor, though he rejected this. An arrest warrant was issued for him by the International Criminal Court for charges of crimes against humanity against the Libyan people, for allegedly torturing and killing civilians, a charge that he has denied.

After the overthrow of the regime, Gaddafi was arrested on 19 November 2011 in southern Libya and flown to Zintan by plane, where he continues to be detained.