Rumours surrounding the killing of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi sparked immediate agitation on Libyan social media on Tuesday night.
A few hours later, in the early morning, Libya's attorney general confirmed that the son of former long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi and designated heir had been “shot dead”.
Around the same time, the first images of the corpse of Saif al-Islam began circulating online. The lifeless body appeared to be lying in the back of a pickup truck, reportedly in a desert area.
According to his political advisers, Saif al-Islam was attacked by a four-man commando unit who “broke into his home, disabled the security cameras and killed him during a direct confrontation”.
At this stage, the political consequences of Saif al-Islam’s killing remain difficult to assess.
