Nearly a decade after his arrest, Hannibal Gaddafi, the youngest son of Libya’s late ruler Muammar Gaddafi, has been released on bail by a Lebanese judge—an unexpected move that has reignited debate about justice, diplomacy, and the enduring mystery of Musa al-Sadr’s disappearance. The decision, handed down on October 17, 2025, stipulates an $11 million bail and a strict travel ban, leaving Gaddafi in Lebanon as the legal and political saga continues to unfold.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the bail ruling comes after almost ten years of pre-trial detention for Hannibal Gaddafi, who was arrested in 2015. Lebanese authorities have accused him of withholding information about the 1978 disappearance of Musa al-Sadr, a revered Lebanese Shia cleric and founder of the Amal Movement. Al-Sadr vanished during an official visit to Libya, accompanied by an aide and a journalist, and the trio has not been heard from since. The case remains one of Lebanon’s most enduring and emotionally charged mysteries, with deep political and sectarian implications.
Hannibal Gaddafi’s detention has always been controversial. His lawyer, Laurent Bayon, was quick to criticize the judge’s decision, describing the bail as “totally unacceptable in a case of arbitrary detention.” In an interview with AFP, Bayon argued, “We will challenge the bail.” He also highlighted his client’s inability to pay, citing international sanctions: “Where do you want him to find $11 million?”
Adding to the controversy, Bayon pointed out that Hannibal was only about two years old when al-Sadr disappeared. This fact has fueled arguments that his detention is less about justice and more about political leverage. As Bayon noted, Gaddafi is “under international sanctions” and faces significant obstacles to meeting the bail’s financial demands.
The Gaddafi family’s legacy continues to cast a long shadow over North Africa and the Middle East. Since Muammar Gaddafi’s violent ouster and death in 2011, his family has scattered across continents. Hannibal’s siblings have met varied fates: Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, once seen as the heir apparent, was arrested in 2011, sentenced to death in 2015, and granted amnesty before announcing a presidential run in 2021—only for those elections to be indefinitely postponed. His current whereabouts remain unknown. Mutassim and Khamis Gaddafi both died during the 2011 conflict, while Saadi Gaddafi, after fleeing to Niger, was extradited to Libya and later relocated to Turkey. Aisha Gaddafi and her mother, Safiya Farkash, found asylum in Oman, with Safiya splitting her time between Oman and Egypt. Mohammed Gaddafi, Muammar’s eldest son, also lives in Oman after fleeing Libya.
Hannibal’s own story is no less dramatic. Married to a Lebanese model, he reportedly fled to Syria before being kidnapped in December 2015 by armed men and brought to Lebanon, where authorities arrested him. Since then, he has languished in pre-trial detention, his fate tied to the unresolved al-Sadr case and the tangled web of Lebanese-Libyan relations.
The disappearance of Musa al-Sadr remains a deeply sensitive issue in Lebanon. Al-Sadr’s influence endures through the Amal Movement, now a political ally of Hezbollah. Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri—who succeeded al-Sadr as Amal’s leader—has repeatedly accused Libya’s post-Gaddafi authorities of failing to cooperate in the investigation, a claim Libya has consistently denied. The strained relationship between the two countries has been exacerbated by these mutual accusations and the unresolved fate of the missing cleric.
For the al-Sadr family, the recent court decision was met with a mix of surprise and resignation. In a public statement, they expressed their “surprise” at the bail ruling but emphasized that their primary concern was not the detention or release of Hannibal Gaddafi, but rather the enduring mystery of the imam’s disappearance. “The arrest or release of Hannibal Gaddafi is not our goal, but rather a mere legal procedure. Our primary issue is the disappearance of the imam [al-Sadr],” the family said.
International human rights organizations have also weighed in. In August 2025, Human Rights Watch called for Hannibal Gaddafi’s immediate release, arguing that he had been imprisoned on “apparently unsubstantiated allegations that he was withholding information” about al-Sadr’s fate. The group described his detention as wrongful and urged Lebanese authorities to free him without further delay.
Concerns about Gaddafi’s health have added urgency to the calls for his release. Over the past year, his lawyer and family have sounded the alarm about his deteriorating condition. According to AFP, Gaddafi suffers from severe depression and was recently hospitalized for abdominal pain. In 2023, Libyan authorities formally requested his release on humanitarian grounds, following a hunger strike he staged to protest his prolonged detention without trial. The Libyan Prosecutor General, Al-Sediq al-Sour, reportedly told his Lebanese counterpart that cooperation in freeing Gaddafi could help reveal the truth about al-Sadr’s disappearance.
The Lebanese judge’s decision to grant bail has not ended the controversy. Bayon has vowed to challenge the ruling, and the $11 million bail remains a significant hurdle given Gaddafi’s financial and legal constraints. The travel ban imposed by the court ensures that, for now, Gaddafi will remain in Lebanon, still entangled in a legal process that has yet to deliver closure for any of the parties involved.
The story of Hannibal Gaddafi’s detention and release is emblematic of the region’s complex interplay of history, politics, and personal tragedy. It is a tale marked by shifting alliances, unresolved grievances, and the persistent shadow of the Gaddafi regime. The fate of Musa al-Sadr, meanwhile, continues to haunt Lebanon, fueling speculation, suspicion, and demands for justice from all sides.
As Lebanon and Libya continue to navigate their fraught relationship, the release of Hannibal Gaddafi on bail stands as a stark reminder of how the past can linger, shaping the present in unexpected and sometimes painful ways. Whether this latest development will bring any closer the answers so many have sought for decades remains to be seen, but for now, the questions—and the search for truth—persist.