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Hannibal Gadhafi, son of late Libyan leader Moammar, released by Lebanon after 10 years in detention.

Hannibal Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, attends the signing agreement ceremony between Libya's Shipping Corporation and STX Europe to build a cruise ship, in Tripoli June 30, 2010.

Lebanese authorities released the son of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Monday after he paid a $900,000 bail, ending his 10-year detention for allegedly withholding information about a missing Lebanese cleric, security officials and a member of his defense team said.

One of Hannibal Gadhafi’s lawyers, Charbel Milad al-Khoury, told the Associated Press that Gadhafi was released Monday evening after necessary paperwork was finished. Two security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, also confirmed that Gadhafi was set free.

“Hannibal is officially free and has the full right to choose the destination that he wants,” al-Khoury said. He refused to give further details about Gadhafi’s future movements out of security concerns.


The release came days after Lebanese authorities lifted a travel ban and reduced the bail for Hannibal Gadhafi, paving the way for his release.

Thursday’s decision by the country’s judicial authorities to lift the travel ban and reduce the bail from $11 million came days after a Libyan delegation visited Lebanon and made progress in talks for the release of Gadhafi.

In mid-October, a Lebanese judge ordered Gadhafi’s release on $11 million bail, but banned him from traveling outside Lebanon. His lawyers said at the time that he didn’t have enough to pay that amount, and sought permission for him to leave the country.

On Thursday, his bail was reduced to 80 billion Lebanese pounds (about $900,000) and the travel ban was lifted allowing him to leave the country once he pays the bail.

The two judicial and one security official said the bail was paid by the Libyan delegation. The Justice Ministry of the Tripoli-based government also posted on its social media platforms that the Libyan delegation paid the bail.

The judicial officials in Beirut said Gadhafi’s defense team withdrew a case against the Lebanese state that they had filed in Geneva last month over holding him without

Libya formally requested Hannibal Gadhafi’s release in 2023, citing his deteriorating health after he went on a hunger strike to protest his detention without trial.

Detained in Lebanon in 2015, Gadhafi was accused of withholding information about the fate of Lebanese Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr who disappeared during a trip to Libya in 1978, although the late leader’s son was less than 3 years old at the time.

Gadhafi had been living in exile in Syria with his Lebanese wife, Aline Skaf, and children until he was abducted in 2015 and brought to Lebanon by Lebanese militants who were demanding information about al-Sadr.

Lebanese police later announced they had seized Gadhafi from the northeastern Lebanese city of Baalbek where he was being held, and he had been held ever since in a Beirut jail, where he faced questioning over al-Sadr’s disappearance.

The case has been a long-standing sore point in Lebanon. The cleric’s family believes he may still be alive in a Libyan prison, though most Lebanese presume he is dead. He would be 96 years old.

Al-Sadr, who went missing with companions Abbas Badreddine and Mohammed Yacoub, was the founder of a Shiite political and military group that took part in the long Lebanese Civil War that began in 1975, largely pitting Muslims against Christians.

Hannibal Gadhafi, who was born nearly three years before al-Sadr disappeared, fled to Algeria after his father was toppled and Tripoli fell to opposition fighters, along with his mother and several other relatives. He later moved to Syria where he was given political asylum and stayed there until he was abducted.

Moammar Gadhafi had eight children from two marriages. Most of them had significant roles in his government. His son Muatassim was killed at the same time as the leader was captured and slain. Two other sons, Saif al-Arab and Khamis, were killed in the uprising.

Saif al-Islam, the one-time heir apparent to his father, has been in Libya since his release from detention there in 2017. Gadhafi’s son Mohammed and daughter Aisha live in Oman. Al-Saadi, a former soccer player, was released from prison in Libya in 2021 after being jailed following repatriation from Niger in 2014, and is believed to be living in Turkey.

Omoawoke:
Libya and Africa would continue to regret what they did to Gadahfi

Hezzyluv:
The guy resemble his popsy somehow.

But something dey worry me sha. I thought I saw Cannibal Gadhafi.

Hezzyluv:
Gadhafi caused the whole Shiit. Since they said they don't like his rule anymore, he should have honourably resigned and would have been one of the African best. Perhaps, living. However, ever since his death, Libya never remain the same again.

89green:
By now I believe everyone should have known the reasons why Gaddafi was killed and why Libya was invaded, if you think uk, US will save you then you are probably on drugs.

Libya has never remained the same since then

Hezzyluv:
Gadhafi caused the whole Shiit. Since they said they don't like his rule anymore, he should have honourably resigned and would have been one of the African best. Perhaps, living. However, ever since his death, Libya never remain the same again.

erad:
See them... You'll know he wasn't mature enough to think on his own when it happened.

The whole thing wasn't even about ghadaffi's rule tenure, it was about "human rights". Yes you read it right. Libyans were protesting they didn't have human rights under his rule (Lol. Anyone familiar with Libya then knows that was a load of western influenced BS!).

Also they wanted him to handover to someone random picked through an election as opposed to his son that he wanted to hand over power to. Nobody that spent over 32 years defending their country from external pressure and thieves looking to steal their resources would ever hand over to a random person in the name of election.

Freshandfitpod:
He is probably heading to uk, that is the new mecca for Muslims. Libya is the worst place to be as a black man and a Christian, the stories coming out from there is not it....

Hezzyluv:
The guy resemble his popsy somehow.

But something dey worry me sha. I thought I saw Cannibal Gadhafi.

JuanDeDios:
Were you in their shoes? I'd love to see you say bolded to someone whose dad was taken away at night and never seen again.

YeyeGbami:
Just like yesterday, they formed coalition to invade Libya. Jets taking off from UK, US bases as if dem dey go save the world

They turned libya upside down, instigated the people against the government. Now libya and the whole sahel no get peace.

Yet some dodoyo dey beg DT to come save them…..

presiade:
Hannibal is arguably the greatest African ever. Go read history and learn about how he dealt with the Roman Empire--the predecessor of modern day Europeans, including America--and almost ended them, but for his grace (mercy) that led to his end. I like that name, and it would have been my nickname except for its association with the god "Baal". Lol

femi4:
Hannibal...what a name when you replace h with c

dauntless15:
If he could make such bail payment after ten years then they really looted libya dry.