Hannibal Gadhafi, son of late Libyan leader Moammar, released by Lebanon after 10 years in detention - Yahoo News Singapore

Hannibal Gadhafi, son of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, was released by Lebanese authorities on Monday after spending 10 years in detention. This long period behind bars came after he was accused of withholding information related to the disappearance of Lebanese Shiite cleric Moussa al-Sadr. Hannibal was released after paying a reduced bail of $900,000, a significant drop from the initial $11 million set in mid-October. The bail payment was reportedly made by a Libyan delegation, which also played a role in lifting the travel ban imposed on him, allowing Hannibal to leave Lebanon freely. The release followed lengthy negotiations and legal maneuvers, including the withdrawal of a case Hannibal’s defense team had filed against the Lebanese state in Geneva concerning his detention without trial. The Libyan government formally requested his release earlier this year, citing his deteriorating health exacerbated by a hunger strike he undertook to protest his prolonged detention. Hannibal had been held since 2015, when Lebanese militants abducted him from Baalbek, a northeastern city in Lebanon, demanding information about al-Sadr’s fate. He was subsequently detained in Beirut and questioned extensively over the cleric’s disappearance. Moussa al-Sadr vanished during a visit to Libya back in 1978. Despite the disappearance dating back over four decades, the case remains a sensitive issue in Lebanon. Al-Sadr’s family believes he might still be alive in a Libyan prison, although the general consensus in Lebanon leans toward the assumption of his death. Al-Sadr was a pivotal figure, founding a Shiite political and military group that took part in Lebanon’s civil war, which started in 1975 and was marked by sectarian violence. Hannibal Gadhafi’s detention drew international attention not just because of his family background but also due to the unusual nature of the charges, given that he was less than three years old when al-Sadr disappeared. Following the fall of his father’s regime in 2011 during the Libyan civil war, Hannibal fled Libya with his family, first to Algeria and later to Syria, where he was granted political asylum. His arrest in Lebanon interrupted this exile, and he remained imprisoned for a decade amid political and legal complexities. The Gadhafi family has faced considerable tragedies and upheavals since the fall of Moammar Gadhafi. Several of Hannibal’s brothers were killed during the 2011 uprising, including Muatassim, Saif al-Arab, and Khamis. Another brother, Saif al-Islam, was released from detention in Libya in 2017 and remains active in the country. Other siblings have scattered abroad, with some living in Oman and others in Turkey. Hannibal’s release marks a significant development in this long-standing case, ending a decade of legal limbo and raising questions about his future. His lawyer confirmed that Hannibal now has the freedom to choose his destination, but declined to provide further details due to security reasons. The move also reflects the complex interplay of Lebanese-Libyan relations and the ongoing repercussions of the Gadhafi era on regional politics.