Lebanon releases Hannibal Gaddafi, ending his 10-year detention in a controversial case tied to missing cleric Musa al-Sadr.
After nearly a decade behind bars, Hannibal Gaddafi — the youngest son of Libya’s late leader Muammar Gaddafi — has finally been released from detention in Lebanon.
His lawyer confirmed that the release took place on Monday evening following a bail payment of around $900,000.
Hannibal’s long detention began in 2015 when he was abducted by militants in Syria.
At the time, he was living in exile with his Lebanese wife and their children after the fall of his father’s regime in 2011.
The militants handed him over to Lebanese authorities, who accused him of withholding information about the disappearance of Lebanese cleric Musa al-Sadr in 1978 — a case that has remained one of Lebanon’s deepest unresolved mysteries.
That accusation has long drawn criticism. Human rights groups have pointed out that Hannibal was only two years old when al-Sadr went missing, arguing his detention lacked legal basis and due process.
They described his decade-long imprisonment without trial as a clear violation of due process and international law.
The tension surrounding his case extended beyond the courtroom. Libya had been pressing for his release since 2023, especially after reports emerged of his deteriorating health and hunger strikes.
Earlier this year, a Lebanese judge initially set his bail at $11 million, but that was later reduced to about $900,000 — a move that finally opened the door to his freedom.
His release marks the end of a long diplomatic dispute between Libya and Lebanon. Tripoli had repeatedly urged Beirut to release him, while international observers called for a fair judicial process and respect for human rights.
Now 49 years old, Hannibal’s life has been shaped by the political collapse of his father’s regime in 2011. After Muammar Gaddafi’s death, he fled with his mother and relatives to Algeria, and later to Syria, where he was granted political asylum before his abduction.
Muammar Gaddafi’s family was once at the center of power in Libya. Several of his children were killed during the uprising — including Muatassim, Saif al-Arab, and Khamis.
Saif al-Islam remains in Libya following his release in 2017, while Mohammed and Aisha live in Oman, and Al-Saadi, a former footballer, resides in Turkey after his release in 2021.
Hannibal Gaddafi’s release closes one of the most prolonged and unusual cases in recent Middle Eastern history. For him, freedom comes after a decade of confinement — but his future remains uncertain in a region still haunted by the legacy of his family’s rule.
