TRIPOLI: Seif Al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of Libya’s late longtime ruler, has died, relatives reported on Tuesday, without providing details on his death. His adviser, Abdallah Othman Abdurrahim, confirmed his death in a social media post, without giving details. “Seif Al-Islam has fallen as a martyr,” his cousin, Hamid Qaddafi, told Libyan network Al-Ahrar, adding that the family had no further details. Media outlets said he had died in Zintan, in northwestern Libya, although his whereabouts had long been unknown. Seif Al-Islam, 53, had been seen as his father’s successor.

The 53-year-old, who was once widely seen as the second most powerful person in Libya, was killed on Tuesday according to Libyan media.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi had been considered the number two in Libya before the 2011 death of his father, Muammar Gaddafi.