Saadi Gaddafi, son of the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has confirmed that his brother Hannibal is safe, dismissing rumours about his death during Israeli airstrikes in southern Beirut.
In a statement on Sunday, Saadi reassured his followers by saying, “My brother, Captain Hannibal, is fine, thank God. I pray for his swift release.”
Hannibal Gaddafi’s lawyer, Reem Youssef Aldabri, also confirmed that her client is in good health and that there have been no new developments in his case. She refuted the social media reports claiming his death in the recent Israeli airstrikes, calling the news false.
Hannibal Gaddafi has been held by Lebanese authorities since 2015 in connection with the assassination of the Shia cleric Musa al-Sadr, who disappeared in Libya in 1978 during an official visit.
In January of this year, Human Rights Watch called on Lebanese authorities to release Hannibal immediately, arguing that his detention was based on fabricated charges linking him to the disappearance of al-Sadr and his two companions. The organisation highlighted that Hannibal was only two years old at the time of the incident and held no official position in the Libyan government.
The ongoing detention of Hannibal Gaddafi has raised concerns among human rights advocates, with many calling for a fair and just resolution to the case.
