Where Are They Now?: Saif al-Islam Qaddafi
Some boys want to be just like dad, and some boys don’t. Saif al-Islam Qaddafi was born the second son to Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 1972. He never knew a Libya not under his father’s rule.
In earlier days, when the Qaddafi regime knew more tranquil times, the man widely considered heir to the rule was.. holding an art exhibition? In 2002, he exhibited his paintings in London to harsh reviews from critics. Qaddafi’s background was clear in his artwork: one even featured his father. The exhibit was called “The Desert is not Silent” in an omen of strife to come.
His career as a painter did not flourish, but his career as a power-hungry daddy’s boy did. Although holding no official office, Saif al-Islam Qaddafi has long been a mouthpiece for his father. He has admitted to torturing Bulgarian medics to extract false confessions in 2004. In 2009 he held a standoff with the US for “humiliating” his father. In 2011, as civil war broke out in Libya – the party-loving son of a dictator took to television to threaten “a river of blood” if protests did not cease immediately.
Where is Saif al-Islam Qaddafi now? Still rallying the lingering followers of the Qaddafi regime. He is rumored to be seen on video as recently as late September, still brandishing assault weapons. It was said rebels had captured him in August 2011, but either reports were untrue or he escaped shortly thereafter. A warrant for his arrest has been issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Saif al-Islam Qaddafi has gone from painting the canvas to painting the streets with blood. Like father, like son!
