Son of Gaddafi Freed from Libyan Jail

Reuters file phot of Saadi Gaddafi
Reuters file phot of Saadi Gaddafi
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Son of Gaddafi Freed from Libyan Jail

Reuters file phot of Saadi Gaddafi
Reuters file phot of Saadi Gaddafi

Saadi Gaddafi, a son of Libya's late leader Moammer Gaddafi who was overthrown and killed in a 2011 uprising, has been freed from jail, a justice ministry source confirmed to AFP Sunday.

"Saadi Moammer Gaddafi has been freed from prison," following a court ruling several years ago, the source said -- without saying whether he was still in the country.

Several media reports on Sunday suggested Gaddafi had already taken a flight to Turkey.

Another source, who works at the prosecutor's office, confirmed to AFP that Gaddafi had been freed.

"The chief prosecutor asked, several months ago, for the execution of the decision relating to Saadi Gaddafi as soon as all the required conditions had been satisfied," said the source.

Gaddafi was free to stay or leave, the source added.

Saadi, 47, fled to Niger following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising, but was extradited to Libya in 2014.

A former professional footballer in Italy, Saadi had been held in a Tripoli prison, accused of crimes committed against protesters and of the 2005 killing of Libyan football coach Bashir al-Rayani.

In April 2018, the court of appeal acquitted him of Rayani's murder.



UN Teams Deploy to Syrian Coast as Wildfires Force Hundreds to Flee

The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, work to extinguish a wildfire, in Latakia countryside, Syria, July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, work to extinguish a wildfire, in Latakia countryside, Syria, July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
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UN Teams Deploy to Syrian Coast as Wildfires Force Hundreds to Flee

The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, work to extinguish a wildfire, in Latakia countryside, Syria, July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, work to extinguish a wildfire, in Latakia countryside, Syria, July 6, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

United Nations teams have deployed Sunday to the Syrian coast, where firefighters are battling wildfires for a fourth day.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria Adam Abdelmoula said in a statement that the fast-spreading blazes in the northwestern province of Latakia “have forced hundreds of families to flee their homes, while vast tracts of agricultural land and vital infrastructure have been destroyed.”

UN teams are “conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the disaster and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs,” he said.

Firefighting teams from Türkiye and Jordan have joined Syrian civil defense teams, providing support from the air with helicopters. Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported that emergency crews are attempting to prevent the blazes from reaching the al-Frunloq natural reserve, with its “large, interconnected forests.”

Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh called the situation “extremely tragic.”

In a statement posted on X, he said the fires had destroyed “hundreds of thousands of trees” covering an area estimated at 10,000 hectares (38.6 square miles).

“We regret and mourn every tree that burned, which was a source of fresh air for us,” al-Saleh said.

The Syrian Civil Defense had expressed concerns over the presence of unexploded ordnance left over from the country’s nearly 14-year civil war in some of the wildfire areas.

Summer fires are common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions.

Below-average rainfalls over the winter have also left Syrians struggling with water shortages this summer, as the springs and rivers that normally supply much of the population with drinking water have gone dry.