MOSCOW: Russia on Wednesday condemned the killing of Seif Al-Islam Qaddafi, son of slain Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi, and called for a thorough probe into his death.
“We strongly condemn this crime. We hope a thorough investigation will be conducted and the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
A lawyer who had been representing Seif Al-Islam told AFP the ex-leader’s son was killed by four unidentified attackers who stormed his house on Tuesday.
Libyan prosecutors said Wednesday they were investigating the killing and that forensic experts had been dispatched to Zintan in northwest Libya, where he was shot dead.
The 53-year-old had been seen by some as a potential successor to his father, who was toppled and killed in 2011 after a NATO-led military intervention.
In 2021, prosecutors in Libya issued an arrest warrant for Seif Al-Islam over suspected ties to the Russian mercenary Wagner group, according to the BBC. Wagner has since been disbanded and replaced with the state-backed Africa Corps.
He was suspected of having strong links with Russia.