The daughter-in-law of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi has expressed her desire to leave Syria, where she is granted political asylum.
Aline Skaf is claiming that security forces attempting to arrest her in Damascus last week was part of a larger plot to kidnap her. She expressed fears of meeting the same fate as her husband, Hannibal Gaddafi, who is currently detained in Lebanon.
On January 24, security forces scrambled in the Chiekh Saad neighborhood in the Syrian capital after Skaf having rammed her car into police officers and pedestrians in a road rage attack, local witnesses reported.
Skaf, however, was spirited away by an influential Syrian official who saved her from being arrested.
The former model’s defense attorneys released a message directed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, telling their client’s side of the story and stating that she was dealt a great deal of injustice.
Circulated on social media platforms and by media outlets in Lebanon, the letter voiced Skaf’s concerns that she has overstayed her welcome in Syria.
“We thank you for hosting us for five years, and for granting us safety, but I think that our visit was prolonged and guests must not outstay their welcome,” it said.
Recounting the events of the incident, the letter noted that Skaf was heading to shop in the Mezzeh area with her friend and 15-year-old son.
While Skaf was parked by the side of the road waiting to collect her purchases from a nearby store, a policeman showed up and pulled her over requesting documents.
“She complied with the officer’s request and told him that she would not park for too long,” the letter confirmed, adding that the policeman had blocked Skaf’s way with his motorbike and refused to allow her to leave.
The officer also denied Skaf’s request to have her escorting bodyguards sort out the situation, despite them producing needed identification.
According to Skaf, the policeman used inappropriate language and proceeded to sit on her vehicle’s hood.
Maintaining that there was another officer filming the quarrel, the letter said that the speed at which Syrian opposition media outlets reported the incident confirms that it was a set up aimed at undermining Syrian leadership.
The letter stressed that danger looms over members of Hannibal Gaddafi’s family.
