Saif al-Islam Qadhafi, the most prominent son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Qadhafi, was shot dead at his residence on Tuesday, a relative said.

Abdullah Othman Abdul Rahim, a family member, told a television channel that Saif al-Islam was killed by a group of four unidentified armed men who stormed his house after disabling surveillance cameras.

“Four armed men entered the residence of Saif al-Islam Qadhafi after cutting off the cameras and then executed him,” Abdul Rahim said, without providing further details.

Once regarded as his father’s heir apparent, Saif al-Islam was a powerful figure during the final years of Muammar Qadhafi’s four-decade rule and played a key role in shaping state policy. He led negotiations that saw Libya abandon its weapons of mass destruction and brokered compensation deals for the families of victims of the 1988 Pan Am plane bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland.

However, his public profile diminished sharply following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed his father. In 2015, a Libyan court sentenced him to death in absentia for his role in suppressing protests during the revolution. He was also provisionally charged by the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity.

After spending years in captivity and obscurity in a remote town, Saif al-Islam re-emerged in 2021 by registering as a presidential candidate for elections scheduled in December. The vote was later abandoned amid a prolonged political deadlock.

Despite holding no official post in recent years, Saif al-Islam remained a polarising figure in Libyan politics, symbolising both the legacy of the former regime and the country’s unresolved divisions.