Hundreds of Libyans show support for slain son of Muammar Gaddafi

Hundreds of Libyan showed their support for the slain son of former Libyan ruler Muammar Gadhafi ahead of his funeral on Friday.

Seif al-Islam, once seen by some as Libya’s heir apparent, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at his home in the north-western city of Zintan on Tuesday.

He will be buried in a town south of the capital, Tripoli, that remains loyal to his family.

His half-brother Mohamed Gaddafi said in a post on Facebook that the choice of Bani Walid reflected the family’s "respect" for the town.

Each year, it celebrates the anniversary of a 1969 coup that brought Muammar to power. He ruled Libya with an iron fist until being ousted and killed during an uprising in 2011.

Libya has struggled to recover from chaos that erupted after the rebellion.

It remains split between Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah's UN-backed government based in Tripoli and an eastern administration backed by Khalifa Haftar.

Dbeibah condemned the killing in a statement on Thursday, saying "assassinations never provided stability... but rather deepen division".

"The Libya we are working towards is a state of law and institutions, where disputes are managed through dialogue and by resorting to the will of the people," he added.

Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi said local Bani Walid authorities will "ensure the security of the funeral".

The authorities said they were probing Seif al-Islam’s death as the assailants remain on the run.

Under the elder Gaddafi's rule, he was described as the de facto prime minister, cultivating an image of moderation and reform despite holding no official position.

But that reputation collapsed when he promised "rivers of blood" in retaliation for the 2011 uprising.

He was arrested that year on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, and a Tripoli court sentenced him to death, although he was later granted amnesty.

In 2021 he announced he would run for president but the elections were indefinitely postponed.

He is survived by four out of six siblings: Mohamed, Saadi, Aicha and Hannibal, who was recently released on bail from a Lebanese prison.