Gaddafi’s son freed from jail

TRIPOLI: Saadi Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s late dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi who was overthrown and killed in a 2011 uprising, has been freed from jail, a justice ministry source confirmed.

“Saadi Muammar Gaddafi has been freed from prison,” in accordance with a court ruling handed down several years ago, said the source, without adding whether he was still in the country.

Media reports suggested Gaddafi (pictured) had already fled the country on a flight to Turkey – although he was free to

stay in the country if he so wished.

Gaddafi, 47, was known for his lavish playboy lifestyle during his father’s dictatorship. He escaped to Niger following the popular uprising that toppled his father before being extradited back to Libya.

The former professional footballer had been held in a Tripoli prison, accused of crimes committed against protesters in 2011 and of the 2005 killing of Libyan football coach Bashir al-rayani.

In April 2018, the court of appeal acquitted him of Rayani’s murder.

During the uprising, three of the dictator’s seven sons were killed, and the country has since sunk into chaos, with rival factions vying for power.