Hannibal Gaddafi as seen in footage leaked from his cell in Lebanon in 2024. (X)
A judge in Lebanon has ordered the release of Hannibal Gaddafi, the youngest son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, on a bail of $11 million and a travel ban.
Hannibal has been held for nearly a decade in pre-trial detention in a case related to the kidnapping and disappearance of revered Lebanese Shia leader Musa al-Sadr in Libya. The bail ruling was made by Judge Zaher Hamadeh, the judicial investigator in the case of al-Sadr’s disappearance, Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported on October 17.
Al-Sadr is the founder of the Amal Movement, which is now an ally of Hezbollah. He went missing along with an aide and a journalist in 1978 when they went to meet with then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Lebanon’s Shia community held the late Gaddafi responsible for the abduction of al-Sadr and his two companions, though the former Libyan regime repeatedly denied the accusation, claiming the three men had left Tripoli for Italy.
Hannibal was kidnapped by unknown assailants, suspected to be members of Amal or Hezbollah, from Syria in 2015 and taken to Lebanon, where the government at the time ordered his arrest.
The latest bail ruling was greeted with ridicule by Gaddafi’s lawyer Laurent Bayon, who told AFP that the “release on bail is totally unacceptable in a case of arbitrary detention. We will challenge the bail.”
Bayon also argued that Hannibal “is under international sanctions” and could not pay the very large bail fee set by the judge.
“Where do you want him to find $11m?” Bayon asked.
Bayon previously noted that his client is now 49, meaning that he was around two years old at the time that al-Sadr disappeared.
The former Syrian regime demanded the release of Hannibal when he was first arrested on the grounds that he was a political refugee. Later in 2023, Libyan authorities formally asked Lebanon to release Gaddafi because of his deteriorating health after he went on a hunger strike to protest his detention without trial.
The case of Hannibal mimics that of his two brothers Saif al-Islam and al-Saadi. Both were imprisoned in Libya over alleged crimes after the fall of their father’s regime in a NATO-led campaign in 2011, only to be declared innocent and released later. Saif al-Islam remains in Libya to this day, where he has been engaged in political activities, while al-Saadi is said to be living in Turkey.
Other sons of Gaddafi were not as lucky, however. Mutassim, Saif al-Arab and Khamis were all killed by NATO or rebels backed by the alliance.
Only one son of the late Libyan leader, Mohammed, and his daughter, Ayesha, have avoided getting arrested or killed. Both fled early on in the war to Algeria and are believed to be living in Oman.
What happened with Saif al-Islam, al-Saadi and more recently Hannibal cast serious doubts on all the accusations hurled against Ghaddafi and his family by Western and Arab media, which were directly used to justify the intervention of NATO. The intervention ended with the unlawful killing of the leader, and the country has been in chaos ever since.
Just like the killing of Gaddafi himself, the persecution and killing of his sons was likely nothing more than an act of revenge by those who opposed the former regime.
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“hannibal has been held for nearly a decade in pre-trial detention” 10 years of pre-trial “detention”?! this is usa and israeli level evil! they obviously got nothing on him and are just keeping him hostage to spite a great man who is dead for 14 years now! no wonder tho cause the lebanese government is a useless puppet to the zionists! “bayon previously noted that his client is now 49, meaning that he was around two years old at the time that al-sadr disappeared.” !!!!
the game is rigged. trial by media claims are always more important than facts. to hasbara agents he is a loose end. set him free
rip respected colonel gaddafi. you were an exceptional leader, the pigs netanyahu, putler and dump do not reach your ankles. i wish that your son, the hero of libya, saif al-islam, will successfully take over your position. the dirty nato pigs destroyed you because you defended africa and now erdogan’s nato pigs don’t dare hold elections in libya. rest in peace, respected gentleman and great statesman muammar gaddafi, and i hope that netanyahu, dump, and putler end up worse than milosevic.
all is clear: 2-year kid kidnapped al-sadr. next! hohols also put 2-year old kids in killing base “peacekeeper” as the threat to independence of rural reich — they crossed the border without permission of gauleiter. parents or relatives saved them from nazis strikes, this is the crime in rural reich.
coinciding with negotiations | “residential peace committee” mobilize old combatants for potential confrontation with “sdf”
on oct 19, 2025
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the “residential peace committee” works on recruiting former military combatants and alawite young men to join the syrian army, in part of preparations for potential military confrontation with “sdf.”
according to reliable sohr sources, figures of the committee have made calls with several former commanders and
i think it was mutassim in a video before his execution by salafi/takfiri extremists where they asked about his wounds and he replied that those were his medals and there’s would be nuclear war something like that.
mr. gaddafi, you deserve my sincere respect. few people are as heroic as you and your brother and your father mr gaddafi. i pray to god and mary that they find the unknown grave where al qaeda’s (and nato) evil goddamn gang of war criminals buried your father. i want to give him a wreath and a candle
you have honestly and fairly defended africa from the evil european criminals led by obama and erdogan. nato’s criminal thugs, in their bloody malice, killed a true african hero. but it is not known where commander gaddafi is buried, because the criminals are covering his grave. rip colonel gaddafi. i wish there would finally be fair elections in libya so that libyans can bring gaddafi back to power
my sincere respect to mr. hannibal gaddafi, a wonderful, heroic and handsome son of a wonderful and honest father. gaddafi family have defended africa honorably and honestly from the criminal nato colonialists.
rest in peace african hero and commander gaddafi.