Saadi Gaddafi, son of former Libya Dictator Muammar Gaddafi, released from prison

Saadi Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been released by Libyan authorities. Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah tweeted early Monday that Gaddafi had been released in accordance with a prior court order. The Libyan leader immediately boarded a plane bound for Istanbul, said reports.

Saadi Gaddafi, known for his playboy lifestyle under his father's regime and for being a professional footballer, fled to Niger following the Nato-backed rebellion. He was apprehended and extradited to Libya in 2014 and has been imprisoned in Tripoli since then.

Saadi Gaddafi released from prison

At least three of the dictator's seven sons were slain during the uprising and the country has since descended into chaos, with various factions vying for power. After a long peace effort that included elections in December, the government of national unity was formed in March.

In addition to Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, major tribal figures were also involved in the discussions that led to Gaddafi's release. The previous interior minister Fathi Bashagha also participated in the negotiations, said reports. Saadi Gaddafi was declared 'not guilty' in 2018 by the justice ministry of "murder, deception and threats against former footballer Bashir Rayani".

The New York Times reported in July that it had contacted Saadi's brother, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who has been jailed for years in the town of Zintan, and that his supporters are indicating that he may compete in the December presidential elections.

More about Kadhadi reign

Al-Saadi Gaddafi is one of three sons of the colonel who rose to power in 1969 after a bloodless revolution. It took 42 years for him to establish his self-styled "Jamahiriya," or "state of the masses." However, he did not always do so coherently. Because of the unpredictable nature of his government, the economy has been crippled, and it has been accused of exploiting its oil wealth to fund and arm rebel groups in Africa, as well as elsewhere.

A superyacht and a private plane looked to be part of his family's extravagant lifestyle. Mutassim and Gaddafi were killed when opposition forces entered Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's Mediterranean birthplace, on October 20, 2011. The other son, Seif al-Arab, was killed in a NATO air raid in April 2011, while his brother Khamis was slain in a battle four months after Seif.

Picture Credit: AP