Saif al-Arab Gaddafi facts for kids

Saif al-Arab Gaddafi (Arabic: سيف العرب القذافي, meaning Sword of the Arabs) was the sixth son of Muammar Gaddafi, who was the leader of Libya. He was born in 1982.

From about 2006 to 2010, Saif al-Arab lived mostly in Munich, Germany. On April 30, 2011, the Libyan government announced that Saif al-Arab and three of his young nieces and nephews had died. They said this happened during an NATO airstrike on his house. This event took place during the Libyan Civil War. At the start of the conflict, Saif al-Arab was involved in military actions for his father's government. He was known as the most private of Gaddafi's eight children.

Early Life and Family

Saif al-Arab was born in 1982 in Tripoli, the capital city of Libya. His father was Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader. His mother was Safia Farkash, who was Gaddafi's second wife. When he was four years old, Saif al-Arab was hurt in a bombing attack in 1986.

Time in Munich, Germany

In 2006, Saif al-Arab went to Munich, Germany. He had a visa to study there. In 2008, he was in Munich again. His Ferrari F430 car made a lot of noise. This led to questions from the German police. His car was even taken away for a short time.

Saif al-Arab was also thought to have tried to move some items from Munich to Paris. These items were said to be in a car with special diplomatic license plates. However, the case was later closed. This was because the items were never found. The German prosecutor's office said there was not enough proof.

Even with these reports, Saif al-Arab was seen as the most private of Gaddafi's sons. He kept a lower profile than his brothers.

Role in the Libyan Civil War

In February 2011, the Libyan Civil War began. News reports said that Saif al-Arab had gone back to Libya. After this, the Bavarian Interior Ministry in Germany said he was no longer welcome there.

On February 26, 2011, the United Nations Security Council passed a rule called Resolution 1970. This rule stopped Saif al-Arab from traveling. An Interpol notice was also put out against him.

Reports of His Death

On April 30, 2011, a Libyan government spokesperson, Moussa Ibrahim, announced something important. He said that an airstrike on Saif al-Arab's house had killed him. He also said that three of Muammar Gaddafi's grandchildren died in the same attack. Moussa Ibrahim did not share the names of the grandchildren. The government also claimed that Muammar Gaddafi was in the house. They said he managed to escape the attack.

The next day, Libyan state TV showed pictures of two bodies in a hospital. The bodies were covered, so they could not be clearly seen. But the TV station said one of them was Saif al-Arab Gaddafi.

NATO said they hit a command and control center. They stated they did not target a home. They also said they were not trying to target specific people. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said they could not confirm if Saif al-Arab or his relatives had died.

Some members of the opposition group in Benghazi thought the government's claim was a trick. They believed it was a way to get sympathy. Abdul Hafez Goga, a spokesperson for the National Transitional Council, said it might be made up. He mentioned that in 1986, Gaddafi had claimed his daughter died in a US strike. Later, journalists found that the child who died was not actually Gaddafi's daughter.

NATO said they had no proof of his death. They could not confirm or deny the Libyan claims. They also said that what the Libyan government called a "residence" had an underground bunker. This bunker was used as a command center. NATO said that was their target.

A French surgeon named Gérard Le Clouerec worked in a private clinic in Libya. Libyan officials asked him to check the bodies of one adult and two children. Le Clouerec was sure that all three died from blast injuries. But because the injuries were so bad, he could not identify the children's bodies. He confirmed the adult body was a man about 30 years old. The man had a thin mustache and beard. Le Clouerec was shown a photo, which he was told was Saif al-Arab. The face of the man's body matched the photo. So, Le Clouerec thought it was "most probably the son of Colonel Gaddafi."

The highest-ranking Roman Catholic official in Tripoli, Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, also confirmed Saif al-Arab's death. His body was reportedly shown to church leaders in Libya.

On May 25, Silvio Berlusconi, who was the prime minister of Italy, said he did not believe Saif al-Arab was dead. He said that intelligence services believed Saif al-Arab was alive. They thought he was living in another country.

In August, when Gaddafi's forces were close to losing Tripoli, Saif al-Arab's brother Mutassim spoke about him. Mutassim said he envied Saif al-Arab. He believed his brother had been "martyred" in a NATO airstrike. Mutassim said this privately to his former girlfriend, Talitha van Zon.

Funeral Service

About 2,000 people who supported Muammar Gaddafi went to the funeral of his son, Saif al-Arab. The funeral was held in Tripoli on May 2, 2011. Muammar Gaddafi himself did not go to the funeral. However, two of his other sons were there. These were Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and Hannibal.

Saif al-Arab's body was covered in a green cloth, which was a color linked to Gaddafi's supporters. His body was taken to the Al-Hani Cemetery in a black ambulance.

Three of Muammar Gaddafi's grandchildren were also buried. Authorities said they were children of Hannibal, Muhammad, and their sister Ayesha.

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